Phantasmal Blades
by Tiamatio
Summary: After being transported to a strange dungeon by an Outrealm Gate, Lucina tries to find a way out. But after meeting two unique teenagers and a talking cat-thing, her fate will be changed. The first story I've ever done so enjoy reading it. I don't own anything, each character goes to their respective owners. ADOPTED BY RedIronFangs!
1. Premoniton

**Hey everyone, just came to say thanks for reading my story. First Story I've ever wrote some don't expect it to be perfect. That's all I wanted to say, enjoy!**

 **Premonition**

 _The world is not it should be. It's filled with distortion, and "ruin" can no longer be avoided. Those who oppose fate and desire change… From time to time, they we referred to as Tricksters. You are the Trickster… Now is the time to rise against the abyss of distortion._

After these words were spoken, a young woman jolts from her bed in a cold sweat. She had navy blue hair, which was in a mess. She also had a simple, white nightgown on. She was an able-bodied woman with some muscle on her as well. But her most defining feature was her Right Eye. Instead of a regular pupil, it had what looked to be a teardrop with an upside-down arch underneath it. This emblem is called 'The Brand of the Exalt'. The girl, although very fearless on the battlefield, was now breathing raggedly and slightly shaking.

'Calm down', She thought to herself. 'It was just a dream. But what was that being that spoke to me? I didn't see its body, but its mere voice sounded eerie.'

"Mmm… Lucina? What happened?" Asked a groggy young man who also had navy blue hair. "Father said we're marching early tomorrow so we can't be up so late." The young man, like his sister, also had the Brand in his eye, although it was his left one instead.

"Oh… Sorry Inigo… I just had a bad dream, that's all. Go back to sleep alright?" Lucina then patted her little brother's head gently as to let him fall back asleep. She never knew how it work, or even asked why, all she knew was that it got Inigo to fall asleep. With Inigo soundly snoring away, Lucina went back to her cot and went back to her thoughts. These things just don't happen randomly, now do they? Soon, the teen fell victim to sleep as well.

 **A bit of a slow start but I'm just trying to flesh things out a bit. I'll try to update whenever I can, cause school and such, but I'll manage. Midterms coming up, but I'll have Winter Break after that so that's cool. See ya!**


	2. Prologue

**Continuing where I left off, so let's get right into it shall we?**

 **Prologue**

In the city, the bright Casino is lively as always. Many people from all over come in and hope to strike it big. It's always go big or go home with these folks. But, amidst the wild life of the Casino, it had a brooding atmosphere that night. A robed being of the night had set off the alarm, letting all the patrons know that the Casino was being robbed. He smirks and makes his move, leaping from light to light. All the while, men in black suits appear and try to find him. Noticing this, the figure sleeks through the lights to make himself known in the moonlight.

"Hey, up there!" shouted a patron when he sees the now illuminated figure. It was a Young man wearing a long, black coat that is reminiscent of old-school thieves in movies. He wore red gloves and all black clothes, most likely for sneaking through areas. His most prominent article of clothing was his mask, a white masquerade mask with what seems to be black stars for his eyes. He was slim built and had unkempt black hair. He also had on him what looked to be a briefcase, which is why he was being targeted in the first place.

"He's here, move in immediately!" said one of the men, pushing past the patrons to chase after the thief. The thief, likewise, turns and leave the scene.

'Good, now get running!' Squeaked a boyish voice over the Thief's earpiece

'This is our only chance!' Proclaimed a boy's voice

A young girl's voice also voiced herself. 'Stay calm, you can get away now!'

Finally, another girl piped in, although she sounded more mature than the other girl. 'We'll retrieve the briefcase on our end.'

A mysterious transmission interrupted their conversation with the black thief. '…suspects…not…confirmed…hold…your...positions…'

'Hm…? What was that…?'

This time, the thief spoke up. "Hey, what's going on your end?"

'Don't worry about us. Just concentrate on getting away!' the boyish voice responded.

"Alright, just be careful." And with that, he started bounding from object to object, navigating his way around the Casino.

'But I have to say, showing yourself above that crowd earlier was an excellent move. Nice work as always Joker.' The thief, now named Joker, smile at this response. It's always nice to get praise every so often, he thought.

'I bet Skull wouldn't be able to pull it off that smoothly.' Said another girl's voice.

'Hey! I heard that!' Yelled what sounded like a delinquent's voice. But before Joker could respond to their little banter, he was cut off by guards.

"There he is!" An agent said as two more pooled in with him, attempting to cut off Joker's escape route.

'Joker, get out there!' A girl's voice cried. She sounded more commanding than the others.

"Gotcha, I wouldn't want to fight a 3-on-1 anyways." Joker then turned away and started leaping onto arches suspended by wires above the casino. The guards would have to find another way to catch this elusive thief.

'OK, the enemy's focus is on him, looks like the rest of us can slip away.'

Joker, pleased by this information, made his way towards an open balcony. Before he could dash towards the exit, two agents stopped his path. They suddenly transformed into grotesque beings with a mask on their faces. A third one dropped behind Joker, attempting to trap him. Joker simply smirked after being told to 'take 'em down!' He leaped high into the air, only to land onto one of the being's shoulders. He then violently ripped off its mask, revealing a black face with two red dots peering into the void. This form was temporary, however, as the being then lurched backwards and had its…everything spill out in a fountain. This explosive geyser brought forth a Hellish Monster, which roared a terrible roar. The entity looked like the Greek Minotaur, but with a metallic, snake-like body. Its figure looked imposing, as if to oppress others. This being is known as the Tyrant Moloch, of the Hanged Man Arcana.

The young girl's voice from earlier piped in again. 'Comparing Power Levels… No threat. Get 'em, Joker!

Joker had already begun his assault. He delivered swift strikes with his knife and his expert marksmanship easily brought the Moloch to its knees. The Tyrant was not pleased with this outcome, as in its rage, it casted a powerful fire spell.

"Damn you! AGIDYNE!" A giant pillar of flames erupted from the ground below Joker. It had completely incinerated the thief, or so he had thought. A phantasmal being appeared next to Joker, protecting him from oncoming damage. He did take some of the damage from the spell, however.

"Well then, who said you could damage me, huh?" Joker laughed as his opponent was stricken with fear. "Time to dispose of this trash, eh Arsene? NOSFERATU!" Purplish matter started coiling its way up the Moloch, until it had completely encased it. Then, without any hesitation, Arsene stabbed into the coil, and drained the life out of the demon. It erupted into black smoke until it was gone.

'Alright, now pull out before their backup gets here. Everyone else, move to Route B!'

"Good, you defeated them with ease.'

'More of them?! Be careful!' Upon saying this, Joker was assaulted by 3 guards, all of whom looked threatening. Joker, realizing this was not a fight he should take, did a backflip and bound away. He climbed up to a higher balcony, where he was given directions.

'You should be able to get out that way!' said the young girl's voice.

'C'mon man, can he even hear us?' the delinquent's voice butted in.

'I believe in Joker, he can make it! I know he will' said the commanding girl's voice, albeit it was softer this time.

Joker then ran through the hallways until making his way to a room with glass separating it from the hallways. An agent ran through the hallway, looking extremely pissed.

"Where'd they go, dammit?! I can't confirm the intruder's location." He then ran off ahead, allowing Joker to pass through unseen, at least he hoped.

'Wait, stop!' The girl's voice stopped joker dead in his tracks. There was a rightful reason so, as a guard was blocking the entryway to the stairs. Joker was able to hide himself in the shadows, but now he was stuck.

'You'll never escape if you keep fighting. Hide in the shadows, and wait for the opportune moment to make a break for it!'

The agent blocking the doorway seemed stressed out a bit. "…Hey, you sure he came this way? …Understood! I will continue the search!" He immediately ran out of the room going to where Joker once was. Joker, seeing this chance, made a break for it.

He ascended past the stairs and came to a hallway illuminated by an adjacent room. Joker carefully snuck through the hallway and peered into the room. In it, was a command center with security footage all over the Casino. They were out for his blood, he thought. This was made evident by a man on the phone stating "He's not alone, find them and kill them all!" Hearing this, Joker dashed past the room and made his escape. He ran his way up to a balcony, where he immediately stopped.

'Something wrong, the exit should be up ahead.'

"Through there?"

'That's just how it is! After that commotion, the bottom floor is completely closed off… Hey! Can you make it?'

Joker simply smiled, knowing full well that he could, but before he made his leap of faith, two guards stopped him.

"Hey, over there!" They approached him with guns raised. "There's nowhere to run!"

Joker had other plans. He leapt onto the guard railings and ran on it until he got to the painted glass window at the top. He looked back at the now confused and said one thing to them before taking off: "See ya!"

Joker jumped through the glass, causing everyone in the casino to gasp and scream in terror. He maneuvered gracefully through the air, as if he was a ghost.

'Hmph, such a showoff. You're so reckless you know that?' Joker only smiled at this claim as he rolled onto the pavement with shattered glass falling around him.

He stood up, only to be greeted by a multitude of lights going off at once. He was surrounded.

'Enemies here?!'

'What's wrong?'

'These readings… it can't be…!'

'What happened?!'

'An ambush?!'

'Joker can you handle this?'

'Joker!'

'Oh no!'

"Capture him!" barked the commander of the ambush squad. Troops pooled in to capture the masked man, giving chase. Joker managed to outrun them and climbed up a ladder, hoping it would lead to escape. Unfortunately, it led to more troops on the ledge, with their rifles pointed at his head. One of them smashed his rifle's butt into Joker's head, making him fall into the crowd of police. They quickly apprehended him and part to let a man in a suit walk up to Joker. He grabbed him by his hair and made him look at him.

"Didn't expect to find some kid. You got your teammate to thank for this. You, were sold out." Joker looked surprised when he heard this, and let his head drop to the ground. He was cuffed and taken to jail.

In a small room underground, there were two men inside. The room had a table with a chair. The person in the chair was cuffed, beaten up, and unconscious. He wore a black student uniform belonging to a local high school. But, his unkempt hair was still as prominent as ever. This boy was in fact, Joker. The man in the suit from before was the first to talk.

"Guess the drug was too strong… Wake him up." Another man grabbed a bucket of water and splashed it on Joker's face, waking him up. Joker weakly opened his eyes and looked around. The first thing he saw were the men around him. They looked ready to kill him.

"No dozing off." Said the Man in the Suit. Joker attempted to move his arms, only to learn that they were bound by something. "You still don't get it, do ya? GIVE IT UP!" The man proceeded to kick Joker harshly in his side, knocking him to the ground. "Come on, cooperate. Or what, you want another shot?" Joker then shot a glance towards the camera in his room.

"Huh, what about the camera? Do you think it'll be used as video evidence?"

"…"

The Man threw him to the ground and kicked him again. "Didn't you hear my question? ANSWER!" He then let Joker cough and wheeze on the ground while he grabbed a clipboard from his subordinate. He then began to read off the list.

"Obstruction of Justice, Blackmail, Defamation, Possession of Weapons… Manslaughter too yeah? Talk about the works!" He then turned back towards Joker. "To think all those crimes were led by a punk like this… And you seemed to be enjoying every second of it, huh?"

'I was…enjoying it?' Joker thought to himself. 'Everything's hazy… I can't remember.'

"You should know you place." The Man motioned the guards towards Joker, uncuffing him. Joker rubbed his wrists, bruised from the torture. The Man gave Joker the clipboard. "Sign here. It's a confession under your name."

"I-I understand" mumbled Joker.

"Good choice." The man handed him a pen from his Jacket, but he leaned into Joker's face and made himself menacing. "Don't expect to walk out of here in one piece. We are going to make you understand… that one must take full responsibility for their actions." Joker grabbed the pen, as the Man rose away from him. He weakly signed his real name in the signature box: Akira Kurusu. He gave the Man the clipboard and after accepting it, he left the room.

Down the hall, a tall woman with Ash-colored hair and dark red eyes walked down the hall. She wore a black business suit with gold accents. A guard noticed her and said curtly

"Excuse me, but this area's off-"

"I'm Nijima, from the Public Prosecutor's Office."

"The Prosecutor's Office? What business do _you_ have here?"

"Just let me through; it's urgent. There's something I need to confirm with the suspect."

"Nijima-san, I believe this case is no longer in your jurisdiction. Besides…" Before he could finish that thought however, an Older detective came from down the hall.

"Are you Prosecutor Sae Nijima? There's a call from your director. Hurry and get it over with. To be frank, you're being an inconvenience."

Sae's phone vibrated, so she picked it up. It was the SIU Director, aka her boss.

' **sigh** I thought I ordered you to stand by.'

"I'm responsible for this case yet I'm not even allowed an interrogation!?"

'I'm calling because I knew you'd bring it up.'

"I will not be convinced unless I confirm it for myself. This is MY case."

' **sigh** good luck to you, then. I won't be expecting much though…' The Director hangs up the phone. The older detective then told something to Nijima.

"Uh, prosecutor? I forgot to mention something. Your time with him will be cut short. We can't permit you to talk with him for long."

"….."

"It's for your own sake. His methods are unknown. After all, we don't even know if it's safe to even meet and greet with him."

"Alright, I understand…" Nijima entered the room and was surprised to see the boy in front of her. She had expected some sort of cruel and malicious man, not the boy in front of her. Nijima was shocked to say the least.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you don't mind, but I'll be asking the questions this time around." Akira was silent, and Sae knew exactly why. She saw the drugs on the floor and was disgusted by the torture methods used to make him speak. But she wasn't going to let that waver her resolve. She had to get to the bottom of this case.

"I need to know why. Why did you do it? Why did you cause such a major incident? I knew it wasn't a prank from the get-go, but I didn't have enough evidence for a case. I didn't even know how you committed your crimes…"

Joker managed to draw out a curt, but coarse laugh. "Of course you couldn't …" His voice was low and raspy. It didn't sound alive.

"Heh, looks like I'm not talking to a wall. Now then, tell me about this 'world' of yours. How does it work?" Sae then looked back to the paper and spoke again. "And tell me, what are these things you speak of: Demons, Gods, Risen, and the Dragon's Gate. Just saying it makes me disbelieve it, but I know otherwise… Tell me about these products of what many thought were just of fantasy. Start from the very beginning."

Joker looked at Nijima and sighed. There was no other way, he thought. "Fine, I'll tell. But you will have to believe my word for it. I know what I've seen, and I know that my Fate can be changed. Can you say the same, Sae Nijima?"

 **Annnd Done! I'm so friggen tired after writing this. I'll get into that nitty gritty stuff soon though. Until then, see ya!**


	3. Chapter 1

**What is up my guys? It's time for chapter 1 then. It'll have two branching paths for right now, but not for long. Anyways, leave a review if you enjoy my story and I hope to see you again soon™.**

 **Chapter 1**

Lucina's World

'I'm going to die here… aren't I?' These were the thoughts of Princess Lucina at the moment. Was she in actual danger? Most likely not, but there was one thing that had everyone except the Commanders of the Shepherds. The sun was blazing down onto the Earth, scorching everything in its wake. And it made everyone marching very, very bitter.

"Hey, c'mon everyone! The Sun isn't that bad!" Beamed the Army's leader and Ylisse's Current Exalt Chrom. "I remember when we had to trek across a desert in these conditions. We were able to manage, AND we got more troops for our army!" However, not everyone shared in Chrom's enthusiasm, as many of the younger members of the Shepherds were groaning.

"Chrom." One curt word from the Army's Tactician instantly sent a shiver down the Blue Haired Lord's spine. Behind him was the obviously pissed off figure of the Grandmaster Robin. His eyes had heavy bags, which was the result of many a night going over battle tactics. His yellow eyes, which were normally calm and joyous, were now cold and harsh. "I know you're excited about training the new recruits, but can you please not be so overbearing right now? It's too early for your shit, y'know?" Chrom didn't speak, but understood what Robin said. He _did_ wake them up at 4:00 AM for their march, and by mid-morning the Sun was already blazing. He just wished this training session wouldn't be as disastrous as the last.

Lucina on the other hand, she wanted to train with her father so badly. She's been waiting for several opportunities to spar with her old man at least once. She had already beaten her Uncle Robin more times than she could remember, and Inigo just couldn't match up to her. She wanted a _real_ challenge. But trudging in the heat wasn't a challenge, it was torture.

"Uncle," moaned Lucina. "How much longer until we get there?" She was getting impatient, and her unbreakable mind was now faltering. Robin only tapped his tome once and said a curt "Almost there" to his niece. They had about 30 meters left in their jaunt, as their destination was coming into view.

Inigo was the first of the children to notice what was up ahead. "Hey… isn't that the Dragon's Gate? Why're we going in there Father?" The other children also raised their voices of concerns as well, as they never travelled through these gates before.

"Why indeed, Inigo… Well Robin, explain it to them. You know how bad I am at explaining these things." Chrom then gestured towards his best friend, who only sighed in response.

"Fine… We're sending you guys off to different Outrealms. They will strengthen your mind and will, as well as make you stronger as a unit." Robin looked over at the children, and saw that even though they've been through hell and back, they still needed to learn how to fight properly. His plan was to send them into an Outrealm filled with demons for them to fight. At least, that's what he planned…

After being given proper instructions on what was going on, the 12 children units filed through the portal, making sure they were prepared for the worst. Although the demons wouldn't kill them, they were to be very formidable foes that were sure to strengthen the children units. Lucina was the last one to walk through the portal, and she was hit by one last pang of sadness. She would be separated from her parents again, even if it was just for one year. She ran back towards her father and gave him a teary-eyed hug. Chrom and Robin both patted Lucina on the back and told her she'll be alright. And so, Lucina took one step into the portal and with that, it closed.

Akira's World

Akira suddenly woke up from his nap. For some reason, he dreamt of a butterfly, 2 dragons, and a very regal looking blade. He also remembered something from his dream as well, something about being a Trickster, whatever that meant. But that didn't concern Akira for right now. Right now, he was taking the train to stay by a man named Sojiro Sakura. Akira, after hearing that his stop was here, walked out and was left alone with his thoughts. He recalled back to the events that brought him to his current situation.

 _A woman was being harassed by what looked to be a drunken man with a shaved head. It looked as if he was trying to take advantage of her. She gave a pleading look to Akira, crying out 'Please, help!' Akira, out of pure selflessness, acted out against the man. He grabbed him by his shoulder to turn him around. He had just planned to grab him and tell him off. He didn't expect the man, in a drunken fit, to stumble over and smash his head onto the pavement. The cops had arrived when they heard the commotion and saw Akira in front of the bloodied man, who yelled out 'Damn brat, I'll sue!' The cops had assumed that Akira had assaulted the man and took him away. Akira was jailed and had a criminal record on him now…_

Thinking back to these events, Akira grew very solemn. He hated every bit of that situation. It was a miracle he was even given a probation period of a year, given the fact that the man was suing for very harsh claims, along with the woman Akira saved giving a false testimony. He was torn away from his thoughts when he heard two girls gossiping on the other side of the train.

"What? Are you for real? A mental shutdown?"

"It's the truth!"

"To a person though? That's gotta be a joke. You really love that occult stuff, don't you?" The girls simply laughed it away as Akira was giving a new train of thought. 'Mental…shutdowns?' He thought. 'What the hell are they talking about?'

Akira got off at his stop and walked his way into Shibuya's Station Square. 'It's so huge…' He thought to himself. 'It's definitely different from the quiet town life…' As he thought this, his phone beeped. Akira looked down and was confused. He had expected some message to appear to tell him directions, not some weird app with a red and black eye for an icon. It then expanded, as if it was tempting him to click on it. Akira clicked on it out of curiosity, once, then twice. Nothing. 'Must've froze.' Akira started, but as soon as he looked up, he realized the world stopped. Nothing moved, and everything was still. He looked around frantically, scared that something has happened to him.

Akira then noticed something up ahead. It looked like fierce, blue flames, burning harshly behind the Tokyo residents. It started to slowly take a shape, at first looking like a Man with a dapper suit, to turning into some sort of being with wings sprouting from its hips. It grew a malevolent grin, and it gave Akira an image that sent chills down his spine. An exact copy of him emerged from the flames, but other than being unharmed by them, he had a malicious grin across his face and bright yellow eyes.

Akira was immediately brought back into reality. He noticed everything was moving again, and that the strange app was still on his phone. Akira did the right choice, and swiped it into the trash. He then made haste towards the train headed towards Yogen-Jaya and departed.

After a short ride, he stepped off the train and looked around. The station was not as busy as he expected it to be, so he easily made it up the stairs and into the backstreets. The backstreets, although looking like slums, was actually a very nice and quiet place to live in, which is exactly why he was here. Akira just had to find a man named Sojiro Sakura, which he located to the end of the backstreets after asking a policeman. He rang the doorbell… only to have no one answer. Although, he could've sworn he saw a flash of orange briefly from the top window.

"Looks like no one's home" said a deliveryman. He seemed like that he'd been through this ordeal before. 'I could ask him about Sojiro then…' thought Akira.

"Hey, do you know where Sojiro Sakura is then?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, he's at his shop right now. Café Leblanc it's called, you can't miss it."

"Alright, thank you. See you around then." And he kindly waved goodbye as he walked towards the coffee shop.

Akira walked inside, and he was greeted by a scene of a middle-aged man who looked like the barista, an elderly couple, and the T.V. The man was reading a newspaper while the T.V had just finished a report on an accident.

"Oh, how frightening…" sighed the elderly man.

"What could be going on? Didn't something similar happen just the other day?" His wife responded.

The middle-aged man was mumbling something about his crossword puzzle when Akira cough a bit. It wasn't an attention cough, just one you get from a dry throat. But either way, this still caught the man's attention.

"…Hm? Oh, right." He said as he put away the crossword puzzle. "They did say that was today." He was interrupted by the elderly couple paying and leaving, who remarked about the strings of accidents recently. Sojiro mumbled something to himself again before making himself presentable to Akira again. "So, you're Akira, huh?" Akira, being as polite as he could, simply asked him to take of him. To which Sojiro gave a slight nod, although surprised at the boy's politeness.

"I'm Sojiro Sakura. You'll be in my custody over the next year. I was wondering what unruly kid would show up, but you're the one, huh? Have you been told? A customer of mine and your parents knew each other and… well not that that matters anyways. Come, follow me." Sojiro led Akira into the upstairs portion of Leblanc, which was a cluttered mess.

"This, is your room. I'll at least give you sheets for your bed. Hm, you look like you wanna say something." Sojiro leered at Akira, expecting a rude answer, but the answer he got surprised him.

"It's big…" was all Akira could say. He never had such a large space for a room before, even if it was a cluttered attic. Sojiro had to suppress a smile for the boy's politeness, as he had to remain strict when enforcing his rules.

"It's up to you to clean up the rest." He said after a second of shock. "I'll be locking up after I leave every night. You'll be alone at night, but don't do anything stupid. I'll throw you out if you cause any trouble." Akira just nodded, knowing his place perfectly well. "Now then, I got the gist of your current situation. You stuck your nose in where it didn't belong and now look where you are. It's best if you not talk about anything unnecessary. I am in the restaurant business you know. Behave yourself for the year, and your probation will be lifted. Piece of cake, right? Cause any problems and you'll be sent straight to juvie. Now then, get ready for tomorrow, as we're going straight to Shujin."

This term left Akira confused. "Shujin? What's that?" Sojiro only sighed and explained. "Shujin Academy, the school you'll be attending for this year. We'll introduce ourselves properly to the staff there. You're lucky they even accepted you, you know?" Sojiro then sighed again, mumbling something about this being a waste of a Sunday. He then gestured towards a carboard box. "Your luggage arrived earlier; I left it over there." And with that, he left the room.

Akira checked around his room, looking at all the filth around him. He had his work cut out for him today… It had been evening, and Akira was beat. He was exhausted from cleaning so much, yet the most he could've done right now was make it look presentable at best. There were still trash here and there, but not as bad as before. His bed and sofa were cleaned up to be used, and his clothes were put away neatly. He then heard Sojiro come up the steps.

"What the heck? I heard you making a ruckus, so I came to check on you. I didn't think you'd be cleaning… Though, I have to say, the room doesn't look too bad. It's only natural you'd want to keep your room clean. Now then, get some rest kid, tomorrow is a big day."

Akira was left alone again, so he changed off and went to sleep. Before he went to bed however, he went back to his thoughts of his current situation. It made him upset, but he realized he couldn't do much about it. He truly was, a Prisoner of Fate. He tried to fall asleep, but was awoken by his phone. The strange app made another appearance, despite being deleted earlier. After noticing this strange behavior, he deleted it again and fell asleep this time.

He immediately woke up, but to a different room. He heard chains swinging, water droplets hitting its source, and what sounded like impatient tapping from another room besides him. He noticed that the room was all blue, but he was wearing what seemed to be prison clothes. His wrists were chained together, and his leg was bounded by a ball-and-chain. Akira noted that he was in fact, inside a jail cell. He then heard a small chuckle come from outside his cell. A small girl wearing cop clothes-no, there were two of them. But they both look very identical. One had her hair in a braided ponytail, while the other had her hair in buns. The one with buns stopped in front of Akira's cell and the other one stopped in front of a cell next to his. They then turned to face a desk with a small old man sitting by it. Along with his suit, he had a very long nose and a very unsettling grin.

The man simply held his hand out and said "Tricksters, welcome to my Velvet Room." 'Tricksters?' thought Akira. 'But there's only me here, isn't there?' "You both must be confused, so I'll allow you to combine your cells." In this moment, his cell's wall to the right suddenly corroded away, revealing another cell with another inmate. She had long, navy blue hair and looked just as surprised as Akira was.

"Stand up straight, inmates! You're in the presence of our Master!" shouted the one with buns.

"The both of you are currently asleep in reality. You are only experiencing this as a dream." Spoke the braided one.

Igor simply chuckled at the two inmates' expression before explaining the physics of this 'World'. Both inmates were baffled by the explanation, as it made no sense. "My name is Igor, the Master of this place. Remember it well… I've summoned you both here on important matters. It involves your lives as well." And both inmates had different reactions. Akira wondered about what important matters were there, while Lucina simply stated Let me out.

Igor only surveyed the room and gave his remarks. "This is truly surprising though. This room reflects the state of your heart. To think it'd appear as such, for both of you. You truly are "prisoners" of fate. In the near future, there is no mistake that ruins await the both of you." Both Akira and Lucina looked solemnly at the man before them. They knew that, deep down, this was true in every aspect. Akira knew his life was over with the criminal record stuck on him, and Lucina knew that no matter what, her timeline would come to pass. "However," Igor's words got both teens back to attention. "There is a way to oppose such fate. You must be 'rehabilitated', rehabilitated towards freedom. That is your only means to avoid ruin… Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?" Akira and Lucina looked at Igor with newfound resolve. Akira said he'd rather avoid ruin, and Lucina stated that she will change fate. The man simply grinned at this resolve.

"Oh, pardon me. We haven't even had introductions yet… To your right, Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as the Twin Wardens here." The Twins had introduced their personalities to the inmates as well. Caroline being the 'Bad Cop', and Justine being the 'Good Cop'. "I will explain their purposes here another time, but for now, you must return to your own world. Take your time to understand this place, you two. I'm sure we'll meet again soon enough." Just then, a prison bell rang out.

"Time's up." Stated Caroline. "Now hurry up and go back to sleep." Before Akira and Lucina could even say their own introductions to each other, they were whisked away, back to their dreams. Though, both remembered something very unique about each other. Lucina noted that her cellmate had dark, unkempt hair, and Akira noted that his cellmate had a strange insignia in her Right Eye. Would their paths cross again? Only time would tell…

 **Whew! Done with that Chapter! In my mind, it makes sense for both to be considered "Prisoners of Faith", cause of their own struggles in their respective games. We'll see what happened to the other 12 Children of Awakening soon, just not right now. But just a little safety precaution: They're A-OK, just wondering where the hell Lucina went. Until next time, see ya!**


	4. Chapter 2

**Hey what's up I'm back with another chapter. Thanks for all the support for the story everyone! Also, The Dark Hour did bring up a really good point. I've only been doing verbatim for the beginning chapters just because I thought the dialogue from the game was better. It'll be its own thing from now on, with some dialogue from the game scattered in between, like important shit. Also, I really hate First-Person based fanfics cause I personally like reading things as an outsider. So if it says Perspective that just means that it's just taking place where that character currently is, unless there's a word for that. If so tell me please. Anyways back to the story.**

 **Chapter 2**

Lucina's Perspective

Lucina woke up from her sleep slowly. She felt well rested, despite her current sleeping conditions. She was sleeping on a metal 'bed', which was just a strip of metal jutting from the wall. Her surroundings were pretty bleak too. The walls were made of grey stone, the floor was hard, and the ceiling had chains hanging from the top. It was obvious where she was, inside a dungeon's jail cell. But what really stuck out to her was the cat-like… thing sleeping lazily on the ground next to her.

'That dream was so weird… how did I even end up in this mess?' thought the princess, still trying to shake off the last remnants of sleep in her system. 'Let's try to remember what the hell happened yesterday…'

 _Lucina stepped through the portal after saying her goodbyes… only to find herself in the hallway of a dungeon. She saw some guards far down the hallway, so she hid for the time being. 'Is this the type of training Robin is having us go through?' She thought to herself. 'If so, this is already intense. No one is around, so I can assume the others appeared elsewhere. I'll have to find them soon. But these guards… they feel powerful. I should attempt to avoid battles until I find my friends.' However, she spoke to soon, as a guard who just turned the corner spotted her. Lucina, although initially frightened, she then shifted into battle mode, ready to fight the guard. It was just one guard correct? She was wrong, as it ripped off its mask, revealing itself to be two creatures. One was a Little mage on a broomstick holding a lantern. He had a pumpkin for a head with a twisted little smile. The other was a small little fairy with auburn hair and a blue leotard. 'Are these the demons Robin told us about? They look weak, but they must be strong enough to put up a challenge for us!' Lucina was determined to beat these demons down._

 _The pumpkin mage, known as Pyro Jack, made the first move. It held up its lantern and yelled out a spell. "Hee ho! I'll burn you up, ho! AGI!" Flames then burst from the lantern, and headed straight towards Lucina. She managed to roll out of the way, but a few locks of her hair were singed off. Lucina decided that now was the time to do a counterattack. "Take this!" She yelled, lunging at the Pyro Jack with her blade. She sliced it across its stomach, but it was hanging on, although just barely. "Why you… That hurt you know?!" Pyro Jack was angry, but also in pain. Before Lucina could finish the job, the Pixie decided to jump in. "DIA!" She yelled, casting the healing spell on her comrade. "I'm not letting you win that easy, girl." Lucina glared at the pixie, but she couldn't do much against their tactics. If she tried to attack the Pixie, the Pyro Jack would burn her up. And she couldn't fight Pyro Jack, as he would keep getting healed by Pixie. This was just not a good fight to be in._

 _And so, Lucina made a run for it. The two enemies stared blankly for a few seconds before giving chase. "Please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me!" was all Lucina could mutter while running. She ran and ran, but she ended up trapping herself into a corner. 'This is it, then?' is what she thought. 'I'm going to die her, aren't I?' But before the demons could try to kill her, a black figure blasted them away with wind. The figure had a very muscular body with regular sized legs, what looked to be some sort of suit, and a large hat(?) that had covered most of its face. It had a Rapier in its Right hand while its left hand was behind its back. Another figure also dropped in, albeit smaller than the Muscular Swordsman. It was about 3ft tall, black, and had a yellow bandana around its neck. But the strange thing is… it looked like a really cartoony cat._

 _The 'Cat' had then turned towards Lucina and looked at her. The Muscular man did the same. Lucina was absolutely speechless, because what she was seeing before her was really unbelievable. And this is from someone who came from a world with Pegasi, Dragons, and Magic. The 'Cat' then cleared its throat to get her attention._

" _Uh, excuse me miss, but are you alright?" It said. It had a boyish voice, as if it was a young boy inside a costume. "This place is really dangerous, y'know?" Lucina only nodded her head, out of shock. The 'Cat' noticed this, and decided to ease her into things. "Look miss, I don't really know how you got here, but you need to leave. You are nowhere close to handling those Shadows by yourself." He then glanced over to her sword. "I see you're a skilled swordsman. However, without a Persona you won't be able to survive in this world." Lucina finally spoke up, but this time, it was in confusion._

" _A… Persona? What's that?" The 'Cat' simply smiled and pointed towards the Muscular Being behind it. "THIS is a Persona! Specifically, my Persona: Zorro. It is a physical manifestation of my inner self. It represents my hopes, dreams, and ambitions." Lucina felt like she understood it a little better, though only a little. She had many other questions, but those would have to wait. She feared more of those Shadows would arrive soon. But she had one last question. "My name is Lucina, could you tell me yours? You did save me after all." The 'Cat' blushed out of bashfulness from the last remark, but regained composure quickly. "My name is Morgana, nice to meet you! Now, let's get out of here, shall we?" And so, the two of them fled away from the scene._

 _Morgana led Lucina through the dungeons and found an area where shadows wouldn't be able to find them. These places were called Safe Rooms. When inside, he explained everything he knew about Palaces and the Metaverse to Lucina, who was able to understand things fairly easily. "So this 'Palace', it's just the cognitive version of a place in real life?" asked Lucina. "Yep! Although, I have yet to see the Palace's owner yet. I can only assume he is a cruel man." Said Morgana. "But anyways, we can't do much today. Plus, you look tired as well. Why don't we sleep here tonight and find a way to leave in the morning?" Lucina had wanted to object, but she was indeed tired. So, she took Morgana up on his offer and fell asleep on the Metal Plank."_

Lucina recalled everything and came back to reality. Morgana had woken up and was just waiting on Lucina. She dusted herself off and they were off. On the way towards the back area of the castle, Lucina decided to ask more about the Personas.

"How, exactly, does one acquire a Persona?" Morgana thought hard about this answer, as it was in his brain somewhere. He finally remembered and told Lucina. "First, one must have feelings of rebellion. It could be to a person who oppresses them, something that makes them feel oppressed, or even society as a whole. When one decides to embrace rebellion, it will appear to guide you." Lucina simply nodded her head in understanding, and continued to focus on the task ahead.

As they were closing in on the exit path, something made Lucina stop dead in her tracts and left her speechless. Ahead of them, was a group of Risen soldiers. How they got here, and why they were here, was a complete mystery. But one thing was for certain: They had to be destroyed. Morgana saw Lucina's face go from one of fear to one of anger and hatred. "Hey!" He hissed. "Don't do anything rash ok? Those Sha-" "They aren't Shadows, Morgana!" She spat. "They're monsters from my world! I have to, no… I must kill them! These things only cause ruin and misery to those around them. I can't let them live!" Lucina dashed towards the group of Risen, brandishing her blade. "Dammit Lucina! I can't have you die here!" Morgana then chased after her, calling his Persona. The Risen saw Lucina and instantly went into kill mode. "Kill…the…princess…" The leader groaned out. It was an undead Barbarian that was leading the charge.

"What the hell are these things Lucina?!" Morgana cried after slicing up a Mercenary. "They're undead beings made only to serve the Dark One. If they're here… then that means he's here too…" Lucina said after cutting down a lancer. After what seemed like an eternity, the skirmish was over. "Must… kill… prin…cess…graaahhh…" The leader croaked out before dying again. He let out a purplish cloud from his mouth, and then disappeared. "Whew, looks like that was the last of 'em" Morgana said in triumph. "Now then, what is this about a princess? They got you confused for someone?" "No… that's who I am. Princess Lucina of Ylisse." Now it was Morgana's turn to be at a loss for words. 'Did she really just say that? Princess? Ylisse? Where is she even from!?' Morgana had a lot of thoughts in his head. Lucina took notice of this and questioned the cat. "Have you never heard of the Haildom of Ylisse?" "No! Kingdoms and such are no longer a thing in the world! Plus, the 'Haildom of Ylisse' doesn't exist!" Morgana cried out. He then calmed down, as he noticed something. "I can't say you're faking however. Those things we just fought, your attire, heck, even your blade! It seems as if you were transported here from another world." Morgana was now deep in thought. He had to find a way to get her home soon.

Suddenly, a group of guards came in to apprehend the duo. "Dammit! We were too slow in defeating those things! The guards must've heard the commotion…" Morgana growled. "And it looks like that fight took a lot out of you too Lucina." Lucina could only nod, as her body felt fatigued. She realized there was no way out of their mess. So she decided to go with a risky plan. "Morgana, let them capture us." "WHAT?! Are you insane Lucina!? They'll just kill us!" "No, they won't. When we were running past the cells, I saw people being locked up. I'm guessing they were locked up first. If we get into a cell, we can make an escape from there." Morgana mulled over this reasoning for a bit and then sighed. "I just hope you're right about this…" And so, the pair was apprehended and thrown into a jail cell at the end of a hallway.

Akira's Perspective

Sunday wasn't all that exciting, to be honest. Akira got ready and went to Shujin to get enrolled. He kept getting reminded by Sojiro to behave himself, so that got annoying fast. It was a good 30-minute drive to Shujin, so it wasn't too bad. But when they got to the Principal's office is where the real test was. Which was to endure all the bashing given to him as soon as he got in.

"Just a friendly reminder that if you do ANYTHING deemed criminal, we WILL NOT hesitate to suspend a troublemaker such as yourself. Are we clear, Kurusu-kun?" Principal Kobayakawa threatened. "Yes, I understand." Akira could only just nod and agree with everything they say. He has to keep himself good in front of his administration. Although he'd wish they'd stop berating him for his 'crime'. "Anyways, this person next to me will be your homeroom teacher for this year." Kobayakawa then gestured to the young woman next to him. She looked like she'd rather be anywhere but there. "I'm Sadayo Kawakami. Here's your Student ID, don't lose it. Also if you get into trouble, I won't bail you out, got that?" Once again, Akira nodded. It seemed Sojiro was tired of their crap as well. "If that's all Mr. Kobayakawa, we should get going. I have a shop to attend to, y'know?" "Ah yes, of course. But please, remind him of his situation alright?" Akira and Sojiro both sighed in their heads but kept that only to themselves. Sojiro merely said ok and left the office.

Once outside the school grounds Sojiro finally spoke up. "They're really treating you as a nuisance, huh?" Sojiro could only sigh as he had to sit through the constant berating, as it really got on his nerves after the first few times. "Goes to show your past will always find a way to come back at ya… Although, if you do anything reckless I won't hesitate to kick you out, got it?" Akira thoroughly understood his situation, so he agreed with Sojiro. "Now come on, let's head back."

Traffic was bad. And that's just the nice way of putting it. Sojiro was getting pissed by the second. "Traffic's not budging at all! You're taking the subway starting tomorrow!" Sojiro hissed. Akira couldn't blame him, traffic tends to make anyone mad, no matter how much of a good person they were. Sojiro and Akira decided to talk a bit to pass time. They talked about school, why Akira was taken in, and other stuff too. After about 3 hours, traffic finally started to move. But the time they got home was too late, so Sojiro couldn't open up shop.

"Wasted the whole damn day because of traffic…" Sojiro sighed out. Akira felt a bit guilty, thinking he was more or less the reason Sojiro had to waste his time on him. "Sorry Sojiro…" was all he muttered. Sojiro just looked surprised at the boy before him. 'Didn't think he'd have manners. He keeps surprising me every minute.' "…Don't beat yourself up over it. What matters most is that you're in school now. Don't mess this up alright kid? Anyways, take this." Sojiro gave Akira a small book, which gave the teen a confused look. "It's your Probation Log. Write down your daily events in it, so the Probational Officers won't get on my case, alright?" "Yea, I gotcha." "Good, now then, I'm heading home. Try to get some sleep. You got a big day tomorrow." And with that, Sojiro was gone.

Akira had tried going to sleep for the day, but then his phone went off. He was confused, and his confusion grew when he opened his phone and saw the app with a red eye on it again. "Stubborn little bastard, aren't you?" Akira swiped the app away again and put away his phone. He fell asleep soon afterwards, ready for his first day back to school.

 **There we go! Chapter 2 is up now. Things are starting to flesh out more, and the two perspectives will merge into one next chapter. I really accept your criticisms of my story. It really helps me out in the long run! Thank you for your support, and I'll see you guys soon!**


	5. Chapter 3

**It is time for Chapter 3 my dudes. Aka where all becomes one. I won't be able to post for the rest of the week because Midterms are gonna eat my ass through and through. But I'll be back for Winter Break. Fuck Midterms tho, because I'm probably gonna fail my Trig and Spanish midterms. Anyways enjoy the chapter!**

 **Chapter 3**

Akira woke up bright and early for the big day today. He was finally going to be back in school for once! He just hopes it'll be a normal first day to start off his life…

Sojiro feed him his signature curry, which immediately woke up Akira for the day. After breakfast, Akira hurried over to the train station headed for Shibuya. He must trek all around Shibuya just to get to the Ginza life. What a real struggle for someone from the country. Akira finally made it, and was able to get to Aoyome-Itchome, where Shujin Academy awaits. But when he made it outside, was where he wanted to kick himself. Hard.

It was pouring. And he forgot his umbrella at home. Akira decided to wait it out and hope for the best. He checked his phone, only to see that damn app still there. But before he could try to delete it again, someone walked up and stood next to him. He looked as over they took off their hood… only to see a girl with ash blonde hair and bright blue eyes. 'A foreigner?' Akira immediately thought. 'She's also wearing the Shujin jacket, so she must also go to Shujin as well.' Akira's mind was whisked away when he kept thinking about where she was from, when she suddenly turned to him. "Hey there." She said, with a nice calmness in her voice. "You don't look familiar… are you new here?" Akira just nodded his head, as he was sort of putting together where she was from. "Unlucky first day then, huh? That sucks. My name is Ann Takamaki, mind if you tell me yours?" But before Akira could reply, a car pulled up to the curb besides them. A window rolled down to show a middle-aged man in a tracksuit. He wore a smile, but to Akira, something about him seemed… off.

"Hey, Ann. You want a drop to school? You'll be late if you try to walk in this weather." Ann's face had a flash of… sadness? Why was that, Akira wondered. But her face came back to normal almost instantly. "Yea, of course. Thank you." Ann hopped into the car, and the two of them were off. Almost instantly, as soon as they took off, a young man attempted to chase down the car, before giving up shortly after stopping in front of Akira. "Damn that pervy teacher!" The young man growled. He had the Shujin jacket on, so Akira can assume he goes to Shujin, but his hair was unnaturally blonde. 'Must've dyed it that way. Can't blame him, he rocks that look really good.' Akira thought. But Upon hearing his words, Akira was thrown into confusion. "Pervy…teacher?" Unbeknownst to Akira and the boy, the strange app on Akira's phone picked up Akira's voice record of him saying 'pervy teacher'.

"…The hell you lookin' at?" The vulgar boy growled. "You plan on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?" Now Akira was confused again. "Kamoshida? Who's that?" "What!? You messin' with me? The asshole in that car just now!" Akira thought back to the car that pulled up earlier. 'So that was Kamoshida, huh? Wonder what he hates about him?' The vulgar boy spoke up again. "Still, how the hell do you not know about Kamoshida? You _do_ go to Shujin, right?" "I mean, I guess so…" "Tch, you _guess_?" The boy just sighed and then he put two and two together. "Oooh, I get it now. You're a transfer student, aren't you?" Akira sighed out in relief and nodded. "Then it's no wonder you don't know about Kamoshida. Bastard thinks he some king of a goddamn castle." The vulgar boy then looked out towards the rain, which had eased up a bit. "Hey, rain's not that bad now, let's book it or else we're gonna be late!" But right before they tried to walk, both boys felt a sudden surge in their heads, giving them a minor headache. Little do they know, the app had recorded their exchange, and found its keywords…

"The hell…? Dammit, I ain't got time for this, let's go, uh… wait what even is your name?" "Akira. Akira Kurusu." "Alright then, name's Ryuji Sakamoto, pleased to meet ya. Now let's get a move on Akira." Akira and Ryuji bolted towards the school. Akira learned of a shortcut that Ryuji told him about, so they were using that. After getting past all the small corridors and crannies they made it school… or not.

In place of Shujin Academy was a large stone fortress with a drawbridge, leading into the Castle. Ryuji and Akira were really baffled, as what they were seeing was unreal to them. "Are you… for real? Didn't we take the right way?" "Maybe it's some event for the spring?" "If it was, they'd tell us beforehand." Ryuji sighed in defeat. "Might as well just go inside and ask what the hell happened." And the duo entered the Castle…

They walked inside… only to see that the entirety of the school looked like the insides of a castle. "What the hell is going on!?" "You sure this is Shujin Ryuji?" "Of course it is! I saw the damn sign outside too!" Suddenly a guard approached the two teens, brandishing a shield and sword. "GAAHH! Geez! You really freaked me out there for a second…" After Ryuji caught his breath, grew curious. "So what, you a student? Nice outfit by the way…" The guard simply stared down Ryuji. "What the eff man, say something!" Another guard entered the scene, brandishing his own weapons. "H-hey man… this ain't funny!" "Maybe it's some sort of elaborate prank?" "Maybe you can shut the hell up Akira! They're gonna kill us!" So Ryuji said the only reasonable thing while he was in panic mode. "RUN!"

Their attempt to make a break for it was short lived, as two more guards immediately came and clocked both teen unconscious. Last thing Akira could remember was being taken away by some guards… Some time later, a very familiar voice was able to wake Akira up from his K.O'd state. Ryuji finally got the boy to wake up, which he was relieved about. 'Alright! Lucky bastard ain't dead!' He thought to himself. Now they had to focus on more pressing matters now that they were up. "Hey, so how the hell are we supposed to get out of here?" Akira thought for a bit. "Try to find a lose brink and escape from there?" "Alright, I'll try. Probably won't work though…" Before their 'plan' could be set into motion, A scream tore them from their thoughts. This sent Akira and Ryuji into a panic mode. "Oooh… shitshitshitshitshitshitshit!" The two teens were scared shitless.

Suddenly, a guard came in and smashed his shield against the cell bars. Alright inmates, be glad!" The guard's voice boomed. 'Inmates…' thought Akira. 'Why does that sound so familiar? Was I in a cell like this before…?' The guard's voice brought him back to reality. "You will be let off… WITH THE PUNISHMENT OF DEATH!" The two boys were silent for a good 2 seconds… "WHAT THE EFF MAN?! YOU'RE SERIOUSLY GONNA KILL US?!" Ryuji could only scream at the guard in front of him. "Why, yes Ryuji… I am going to kill you. You _did_ try to trespass on _my_ castle, after all." A cruel, distorted voice said. The owner of that voice stepped forward to meet the boys in the eyes, and they were disgusted. A man wearing nothing but a King's cape, crown, and pink underwear was standing in front of them. The man's facial features made him none other than Kamoshida, yet he was different. His eyes were a bright yellow, and his expression was sinister. "The hell are you wearing, you pervy asshole?!" Ryuji hissed at him. There were clear sides of resentment to this man, Akira had reasoned. "Oho? So you think you can just whatever you damn well please in my castle then? Alright then… Ryuji Sakamoto, I sentence you to death!" Ryuji face went pale as guards pooled into the room to execute him.

The guards pinned him to a wall as Kamoshida swaggered in. He took a good look at Ryuji and spat on his knuckles. "What… the hell… you doing…?" Ryuji soon learned what was happening as Kamoshida started to clobber him in the face. Akira was getting pissed at the scene unfolding before him. "Stop it!" Kamoshida simply turned and taunted Akira. The guards pinned Akira to the wall and forced him to watch Ryuji's execution. Akira thought all hope was lost then and there. 'After Ryuji dies… I'll die too… Man, what a shitty first day, huh?'

Suddenly, time slowed to a crawl. A voice rang out in Akira's head. **"This is truly an unjust game… your chances of winning almost to none."** A blue butterfly with the words 'PHIL' engraved on its wings started to flutter past Akira. **"However, if my voice is reaching, there might be a possibility open to you…"** Time had begun to move again. But another voice decided to ring out in Akira's head. It sounded malevolent, but at the same time, it didn't… It was strange. **'What's the matter? Are you going to simply sit back and watch? Are you forsaking him to save yourself? Death awaits him if you don't do nothing. Was your previous decision… WAS IT A MISTAKE THEN?!'** Akira's mind went back to his incident, and his resolve became clear. "No… What I did… was no mistake…!" The voice gave a huff of approval and continued. **'Very well, I have heeded your resolve.'** Akira suddenly felt pain surge throughout his entire body, causing him to sweat profusely and scream uncontrollably. **'Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I… thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name… AND RELEASE THY RAGE! SHOW THE STRENGTH OF THY WILL TO ASCERTAIN ALL ON THINE OWN, THOUGH THOU BE CHAINED TO HELL ITSELF!'**

"EXECUTE HIM!" Yelled Kamoshida, but before the guards could do much, Akira yelled in great rebellion. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" Kamoshida looked back to Akira in utter disbelief. He regained composure and glared at him. "You desire to be killed that much? Fine!" The guards pinned Akira to the wall and prepared to slice his skull in half… but a sudden burst of energy blew everyone in the cell back. The energy converged to form a mask on Akira's face. "This mask, I don't need this mask on me anymore!" And Akira painfully tore off the mask from his face, causing blood to pool from the area where it once was. But, the boy was smiling, and his eyes turned to yellow. Blue flames erupted from his body, engulfing the boy. When they dissipated from his body, Akira's appearance was completely different. His attire was a long, black coat, black clothing, red gloves, and a white and black mask, although it hung at his side for now. The big difference was the being behind him. It was a red demon whose body seemed to resemble a red tuxedo. Its hat had tentacles at the sides. And it wore a malicious grin. Its name… Was Arsene!

It peered into the souls of everyone present, causing Ryuji to just sputter in fear. It then crushed two guards into pieces, as if they were just pumice dust. Kamoshida was not having any of its shit, however.

"What the hell are you waiting for?! ATTACK HIM!" Arsene looked at the last remaining guard, who ripped off his face to reveal A Pyro Jack and a Pixie. Arsene merely laughed at its enemies and readied itself for battle. **"I kick ass for the LORD!"** Was what Arsene cried before going into battle. Akira was too caught up in the moment to laugh, but Ryuji had to stifle a laugh from coming out.

The demons were surprisingly scared of this threat, however. **"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh FUCK! He's a servant of YHVH then isn't he, ho?!"** Pyro Jack cried. **"Calm down idiot. There's no way he serves YHVH, look at how he's dressed for Christ's sake! Does that look 'Holy' to you in any way?"** Pixie reasoned. **"Y-yeah, you're right, ho! Let's kick his hee-ho!"** Arsene looked at the demons before him coldly before turning back to Akira. **"Looks like my ruse didn't quite work out… Ah well, we'll just have to kill them then."** Akira nodded as he prepared for battle. He wondered what were Arsene's powers so he can use them against his opponents. His mind cleared and he pictured what seemed to be a skill sheet that only showed one move: Flux. Without any other options, Akira just casted the spell. "Now Arsene! Attack the Pixie with Flux!"

Arsene followed his user's call, creating an orb of purplish matter. It then threw it straight at the Pixie. It was engulfed by the purplish matter and disintegrated immediately. Pyro Jack saw the power of the orb and grew extremely afraid. **"SHIT SHIT SHIT!"** Was all the poor thing could mutter. It cried out spell in desperation. **"AGI!"** Flames erupted from the lantern it held and they went straight towards Akira. **"Like I'd allow that!"** Arsene swooped in front of Akira, protecting him from the flames. Akira took some damage due to the fact he and Arsene are linked, body and mind. **"My apologies master. It seems we took some damage…"** "It's fine Arsene, you were just doing your job. Now the, let's finish this runt off!" **"Do it with style, master. Swing your blade at him!"** "My blade?" Akira had then noticed that at his side was a black dagger. "Oh, you mean this thing? Alright, I'm game." Akira surged forward towards the Pyro Jack and slashed it across its stomach. It was barely hanging on for life, but the Pixie wasn't here to save it this time. **Now then, let's clean up."** Akira walked up to the Pyro Jack and stomped its head into pieces, causing it to disintegrate to black smoke.

Ryuji watched the whole thing, and seeing Arsene in action made him scared out of his mind. "H-hey man… WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" was what Ryuji screamed, mainly in fear. "THAT'S WHAT I SHOULD BE ASKING HIM!" Kamoshida came back and glared into Akira's eyes. Ryuji saw Kamoshida rear back for a punch so he charged at the pervert and pummeled him to the ground. "You like that ya son of a bitch?!" Akira acted quickly due to Ryuji's actions. "Ryuji, the keys! Lock him up!" "Oh yea, gotcha!" He gave Kamoshida one last good, hard, kick to the face and ran out the cell with Akira, locking it back. Kamoshida was unconscious, and the duo was safely outside the cell. "But seriously though, that was crazy! That thing that came to you, those demons… hell, even your clothes! …Which are back to normal by the way. Akira didn't even notice his clothes went back to normal after the fight. "God, that was effin' nuts. C'mon, let's get out of this place!"

Akira and Ryuji found a broken bridge that led to an open gate after they ran from Kamoshida. "I think we can jump across this bridge… the gap doesn't look too bad." Akira noted. "Ya think so? Well, if you're fine with it, I'm down with it too. Lead the way." Ryuji didn't really trust himself leading the way in this maze, plus Akira could fight while he couldn't, so that was a huge plus. So the duo ran past multiple cells, and crawled through a tunnel until they found themselves stuck in another dungeon maze. Ryuji was about to voice his concerns when Akira shut him up. "Shh! I hear something coming!" Akira spotted some giant crates in a corner. "Come over here, hide and don't make a noise, ok?" "Yea I got ya man." Ryuji whispered, still very afraid of the place. Some guards rushed in and then turned the corner. Once they were gone Akira and Ryuji made a break for the spiral staircase. "Hopefully this leads to an exit…" Ryuji panted. This whole experience was super taxing for him.

The exited the staircase, only to be met with another dungeon hall. "What the hell is up with this place?" They ran past some cells, which had people inside of them. All of them looked beaten up and worn out. They reached and dead end and there was no luck. "Dammit, there's just no end to this place…" Hissed Akira. He was slowly getting agitated too. Then, a voice rang out that made both teens jump. "Hey, you two! Blondie, Frizzy hair! Look over here!" The two of them turned towards the cell they were next to and saw two inhabitants. One was a weird creature, which was trying to paw at them for their attention, and the other was a woman with long, royal blue hair with a defeated expression. That expression turned into one of relief when she saw the two teens. The creature spoke first. "Hey, you're not soldiers of the castle, get us out of here!" Ryuji then looked down at it and had to do a double-take. "Are you for real?! A talking cat?!" "I'm not a damn cat! Look, me and my partner here were locked up here yesterday. You free us and we'll show you the way out, ok?" Ryuji looked like he was about to interject, and Morgana looked like he was gonna tear off Ryuji's face. But their partners stepped in to defuse the situation. "Knock it off, will you?" Lucina and Akira said in unison.

They meet each other's eyes for a second. Akira noticed the symbol in her eye. It reminded him of the girl he saw in the Velvet Room the other night. He'd ask her about it later. "Morgana, let's help them out." "Ryuji, we should help them out." Both Morgana and Ryuji stopped their bickering and looked at their partners with a defeated sigh. "But hey, Lucina. How are we going to get out? They threw away the keys, didn't they?" Ryuji then remembered something when Morgana said that. "Oh yea, I still have these things from when we beat up Kamoshida!" He pulled out a key ring. He was debating whether he should tease them for Morgana's rudeness, but the guards that were slowly advancing on them made him quickly unlock the door. Lucina and Morgana both ran out the door and started dashing. "Follow me if you want to escape this place!" called Morgana, which made Ryuji and Akira run after him and Lucina.

They reached a drawbridge, which had to be opened by pulling down the jaw of a Kamoshida statue. "How the hell were we supposed to figure that out?!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Shut up and keep moving! Or else do you want the guards to catch you?" Was all Morgana said. Ryuji just growled as he chased after the group again. They started to make another break until a Guard found them and declared battle. "SHIT IT'S THEM!" Ryuji yelled. "Calm down, we'll take them down. Akira, you can fight, can't you?" Morgana looked over to Akira, who already transformed and brought out Arsene. "Well then, looks like I'm not going to be held back then. Lucina! Make sure Ryuji doesn't get hurt! Akira and I will fight!" Lucina nodded as she went into a protective stance by Ryuji. "Time for action, ZORRO!" Zorro unleashed himself in all his glory, ready to cut down its enemies. It looked over to Arsene, whom it had a brief exchange with before going back to battle mode. **"Hmph, nice sword you got there." "Heh, you look quite eager yourself, y'know?"**

The soldier erupted in a red fountain, revealing a Pyro Jack and an Incubus. They looked especially eager for battle. Akira readied a Flux attack and smashed it against the Incubus, who merely shrugged it off. "I knew you were an amateur, THIS is how you really gain an advantage." Morgana casted Wind on the Pyro Jack, bringing it down to its knees. "Always aim for an enemy's weakness, you'll gain advantage better that way. Remember this well." He then casted another wind attack at the incubus, who was also knocked down. "Now, follow up for me, strike them while they're down!" Akira smiled as he lunged with his blade, and cut down both enemies easily. "Nice work Morgana. I couldn't have done it without you." "Of course you couldn't!" The cat-thing smirked to itself, feeling happy about the compliment. He shifted gears back to regular mode and looked back at the others. "Alright, no time for slacking off, we gotta get out of here."

The gang left the area and that's when Morgana spoke again. "Nice job on handling your Persona by the way." "Per…sona?" Ryuji uttered in confusion. "Yes, the thing that comes out of his body to fight with him is called a Persona." "Also, what happened to your clothes?" Lucina asked, looking at Akira curiously. "They were different during the battle." "Hmm… It must be because you don't have much control over it. It'll stay on him eventually." Lucina looked at their clothes again and still found them odd. "Your clothes, they look so…strange. Is this how you normally dress? N-not to be rude or anything!" Ryuji just stared at her blankly while Akira was confused by her mannerisms. "How are our clothes strange? If anything, your own seem to be the stranger one here…" Akira simply said. Lucina looked down at her own clothes and realized they must've looked strange to the other teens before her. Morgana realized they weren't going to go anywhere with all this confusion, so he tried to clear things up. "So, long story short, Lucina isn't from the same world as you guys are from. She's from another world it seems." This led to even more confusion, and Ryuji was getting too confused for it.

He pulled out his phone to check for signal again, only for Lucina to look at him strangely again. "What's up? Got something on my face?" "Why are you carrying around a piece of metal with you? What's the point?" It was then Ryuji and Akira sorta understood what time period she's from. Her mannerisms, her clothes, and her weapon. She was from the Medieval Ages. They were in silence for a bit trying to process the information they just learned about their comrade. "Dammit guys, we don't got time, let's go!" Shouted Morgana, ripping them from their thoughts. They'll continue this conversation later.

They reached a drawbridge, but a boy in a tracksuit stood out to Ryuji. "Hey, what about this guy? Can't we save him?" "Ryuji, we have no time to waste. Get a move on!" was what Morgana said. "Dammit cat! I can't let these people suffer in these cells! We gotta save them!" "I'm not a cat dammit! These people aren't even worth our time, they're just-" Morgana was cut off, as a guard had found them. "Got you now, thieves!" "Damn, we should've went when we had the chance." "No point in crying over it right now, let's fight it and get past it." Akira said, brandishing his knife. "Alright, I'll follow your lead then." Morgana already took out his saber, ready for a fight. The guard became two pixies, but the fight itself was over quickly. The pixies fell to Arsene's and Zorro's quick strikes. "What an inconvenience…" sighed Lucina. "Let's continue on, shall we?" Lucina crossed the bridge, with Akira and Morgana trailing behind. Ryuji took one last good look at the boy in the cell. He had blue hair, although it was darker than Lucina's. He had a pathetic look on his face. Ryuji shook his head and ran towards the group.

After running through the Great Hall, the group reached a corridor. "We're here!" Exclaimed Morgana. Ryuji lit up immediately. "For real?! Hell yea! Akira, we can go home now!" Akira was excited as well. Lucina opened a door leading to a room with some lockers and a large vent with a breezeway. "What the… how the hell we supposed to get out?!" Ryuji was getting impatient. "Through the vent up there, Ryuji. It's common sense." Lucina pointed out. Ryuji looked over and understood what to do. He climbed the lockers and bust open the vent… and fell off the lockers. "Oww… crap… You think they heard that?" Morgana shook his head and Ryuji let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god… And thank you both, Lucina and Morgana! Let's head back Akira!" And so they took off into the vents and left the deranged castle. Lucina looked up after them. "Y'know, you should go to. Who knows, maybe you'll get back home that way too." Morgana said to her. Lucina looked at Morgana with amazement, and shook her head to clear her mind. "Alright then Morgana, thank you. We may see each other soon, but I wish to be home." And with that being said, she leapt through the vent and was gone as well. "Hmm… Those three seem interesting… Especially Lucina and Akira. I can sense their potential."

"Phew… did we make it?" Ryuji panted, once they got out. Akira's phone confirmed it. _You have returned to the real world. Welcome back!_ "Returned? So that means we must've made it through." Akira said. "Indeed we have, or should I say you have." A familiar voice spoke to them. Both teen turned around to see none other than Lucina, still clad in her Medieval outfit. "I went through the portal expecting to get home, but it seems I was transported to your world instead." She looked around, and it was then that she was really spooked. "Why are there giant metal buildings everywhere? What is everyone wearing? Are those images being played on the buildings?" Lucina was getting shocked by everything new around her. "Crap, this is bad! We can't have her freaking out in the middle of street. What the hell do we do?!" Ryuji was also freaking out now. "Guys," Akira tried to say, but both of his companions were freaking out. "GUYS!" He yelled sternly to get them in line. They instantly shut up and looked at him. "Look Lucina, this is pretty hard for you, isn't it? Being in a world you don't understand." Lucina simply nodded. "Ryuji, we gotta do something to help her, alright?"

"Yea, I got ya man…" But now Ryuji's mind was somewhere else. "What the hell was that just now though? With the Castle, Kamoshida, and that crazy cat-thing!" He yelled. Before Lucina and Akira could interject, a police officer come up to the group. "What's with all the yelling? Hey…Aren't you Shujin kids? The hell you doing out of school?" The three teens looked over at the cops who approached them. Ryuji was the first to speak up. "We were trying to go to school, but we ended up getting trapped in some sort of castle!" Akira and Lucina mentally face-palmed themselves. 'Too honest, Ryuji.' They both thought. The officer didn't seem amused. "Hand over your bags. You better not be high or something…" "Why the hell would you think that?!" "Because your story sounds like something a stoner would say. Look, are you his friend?" Akira nodded to the question. "Then just take him to school. Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble, alright?" "Got it. Let's go Ryuji." "H-hey man! What're we gonna do about Lucina?" 'Crap!' He thought. 'She's still having trouble trying to understand our world.' The cops did the questioning for them though. "And you miss. You aren't cutting school to go to some convention, are you?" "I, uh, er…" Lucina was getting flustered. "Could you repeat yourself?" The cops instantly understood the situation. "Ah, a foreigner. Alright then, be careful then miss. Sorry for the inconvenience." The cops were off. "What just happened…?" Lucina was left really confused. The cops spoke some sort of foreign language she didn't know, but Akira and Ryuji spoke perfect English. "Hey Lucina," Akira cut off her train of thought. "You're not going to be fine here, are you?" She shook her head feebly. Ryuji sighed in defeat, but Akira had other plans. "Look, wait for me after school, alright? I'll meet you on my school's rooftop to discuss the situation." "I-I guess…" Ryuji suddenly got a bewildered look on his face. "How the hell we supposed to smuggle her into school?! She looks out of place as is." Akira thought for a bit. "Give her your Jacket. She'll just look like a regular Shujin student if we take off some stuff and put on the Jacket." Ryuji kicked himself for not thinking about that idea sooner. They went through the shortcut and right before they headed in, they took off Lucina's armor until she was just wearing her regular clothes she wore underneath the armor. "Man, this crap sure is heavy. Good thing we found someone's old School bag through here." They stuffed the armor in there and gave her Ryuji's jacket. "It's a bit big, but it'll manage. Let's go in now."

The trio entered the School's front gate… only to see it was completely normal. "What the hell is going on?" Ryuji growled. "That's what I should be asking you Sakamoto." A man in a suit said as he walked down the stairs. "Where the hell where you all this time?" "A uh, a-a castle." 'Well, he's not wrong…' Thought Akira. "Tch, not telling the truth then eh? God your so irritating…"

"Sakamoto, you're not treating adults with respect again?" A eerily familiar voice said. "I'm disappointed." The voice belonged to none other than Kamoshida. "K-kamoshida?!" exclaimed Ryuji. One thing he noticed was that the man was fully clothed. Two, his eyes weren't yellow. "Hm? You look like you've seen a ghost." "Tch…" Kamoshida sighed at Ryuji's behavior. "Just excuse his attitude for today, alright?" Kamoshida told the counselor. The man simply sighed and went back to Ryuji. "Your behavior may be excused, but your lateness isn't come with me young man!" And Ryuji was carried off to the counselor's office. Kamoshida then looked back at the other two students before him. "…Have we met somewhere before?" "This morning." Akira said curtly. "Yea… I remember now… You're both transfer students, yea?" Akira nodded, which made Lucina nod too, mainly out of confusion. "Listen up. I'll let you off with a warning today since it's your first day, but if you slip up, you'll be expelled got that? This applies for both of you." Lucina and Akira both nodded their heads in agreement. "Good. Now head over to Miss Kawakami. She's tired of waiting for you two y'know?" And Kamoshida left.

On the way to Kawakami's office, Akira was confused. "Hey, don't you think it's strange that they were expecting you too?" Lucina thought about it for a bit. "It does seem a bit odd… but it does seem lucky for us." "Still…" Akira couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. They reached Kawakami's office, only to see a very upset Kawakami. "Do you understand how long I've been waiting?" Kawakami's patience was running thin. "Unbelievable… Where the hell did you disappear for half of the day?!" "I got… lost." Was all Akira could mumble out. Kawakami let out a sigh, calming down. "Look, I understand. I got lost trying to travel around Tokyo too when I was a kid. This is your first time in Tokyo, correct?" Akira did a small nod. "Fine… I'll let you off with a warning. But jeez, half a day late? That's gotta be fishy…"

Kawakami then looked over to Lucina. "And you must be the new foreign exchange student coming into my class. My name is Sadayo Kawakami, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for this school year." Kawakami let out her hand for Lucina to shake, who shook it firmly. "As for your uniform… well, this is fine for today, since you wouldn't really know much about out policies, but from now on, you'll need a proper uniform, ok?" Lucina blushed a bit out of embarrassment, which caused Kawakami's face to light up a bit. "Now then, let's introduce you to your class. Kurusu-kun, we'll just say you got a cold and had to arrive late. The class will understand your situation, uhh… crap. I didn't even get your name during our exchange. This is what happens when I'm too busy…" Lucina just gave her a small smile before introducing herself. "My name is… Lucina Lowell." Kawakami wasn't too surprised by her language. The manuscript she got just told her the area where the two students were coming from, Nagasaki and Wales. So it was safe to assume Lucina was from Wales, unless something weird pops up. Still, she needed a good translator for this new student. She then noticed how she and Akira were talking with one another perfectly fine. 'Well, that was easy…'

Kawakami guided the duo to their new classroom. "By the way," She started. "When you're introducing yourself, do NOT say anything unnecessary, ok?" Akira simply nodded as he and Lucina entered the class. "Alright now, settle down!" Kawakami called out to the class. "We have two new students here today. One is an exchange student who just traveled here from Wales, so that's why she's late. The other had a cold for the first half of the day, so he was at home resting. Well then, introduce yourselves."

"My name is Akira Kurusu, nice to meet you." Akira did a small smile, but that caused the class to erupt in gossip. "He seems quiet, but I bet when he gets pissed…" "Don't look him straight in the eye or he might slug ya, y'know?" More students joined in the gossip until Kawakami hushed them. "Now, onto out next student. Introduce yourself, please. Also, she can only speak English, so Akira will be translating for us." The class was now really focused on the pair. An Englishwoman came to their school, AND the kid with the criminal record can understand English perfectly fine.

"My name is Lucina Lowell, pleasure to make your acquaintance." The class was confused after her introduction, except for one. Ann Takamaki, the girl from before, knew exactly what she was saying.

Once Akira translated, even more gossiping erupted, though they weren't bad like the ones for Akira. "Whoa, so that's a British person, huh? You don't get to see them every day…" "She looks kinda different from your average British person, but maybe that's her natural hair color?" More gossiping occurred until Kawakami once again had to quiet them down. She was really tired of her class' behavior today. "Alright you two, there are two empty seats in the back, behind Takamaki-san. Seat yourselves over there. As for the rest of you, kindly share your textbooks with them for the day. They'll have their own stuff tomorrow." Some students groaned as the duo took their seats. Lucina sat at the back, and Akira sat in front of her.

Ann glared at Akira when he passed by her. "Liar…" she hissed. Akira remembered her face from that morning and tried to say hi, but she simply ignored him. This roused up the class even more until Kawakami had to step in again. Classes ended like normal, and as Lucina and Akira stepped out, they had a migraine. The School's halls shifted from Castle to School rapidly, making them both clutch their heads for a bit, before eventually calming down. The visions had stopped, for now at least. Ryuji spotted them and waved over to them. "Yo, how's it hanging?" "Nothing much Ryuji, how about you?" Akira said, pleased to see him again. "Heh, same old, same old I guess. Anyways, follow me. We're heading for the rooftop." Lucina was troubled by this. "Why are we going there?" "We need a private place to talk about that place… and about you, Luce."

The trio went up to the rooftop, where they instantly started talking about their current situation. "You know, I'm surprised you guys stuck around with me. Teachers are always saying crap like 'Don't get involved with Sakamoto,' and shit. Heard you got a criminal record too Akira. That must effin' suck, huh?" Akira looked down and nodded, although he wasn't sad about it. He was upset about his situation. Ryuji took notice of this and started up again. "Looks like we're in the same boat then… 'two troublemakers up to no good,' is how the damn school labels us." Ryuji then grew serious. "Now then, what the hell was that all about back there? How we almost got killed in that castle?" "I really don't know… that strange app on my phone just sent us there." Akira said. "Huh… maybe it can get us back to castle again… I wanna explore it again." Now they shifted gears to Lucina.

"Say Luce," Ryuji started. "Where exactly are you from?" Lucina thought about it for a bit. "I am Lucina Lowell, as you know. But my true title is Princess Lucina of Ylisse." Ryuji and Akira had very confused looks on their faces. "Ylisse…? Where's that?" Ryuji asked. "That doesn't even sound like a town in Britain…" Akira said. "Well, Ylisse is a kingdom on a different continent in my world… You wouldn't know it here." Akira and Ryuji took in her words and processed it. Then, Akira had another question. "What's with your eye? It has some strange symbol in it." Lucina passed her hand over her right eye, recalling the Brand of the Exalt. After giving its explanation, the boys were getting an understanding on who Lucina truly was. "I see… Y'know, it's pretty late. Let's go home for now." Ryuji said as he got up and grabbed his bag. "Oh yea, two things. One, my jacket." Lucina realized she still had Ryuji's jacket from earlier and took it off. "Good thing we just needed on article of Shujin Uniform to be in dress code… Now, the next thing. I'll need your phone number Akira, just in case anything pops up." Akira complied, exchanging numbers with Ryuji. "Alright then, see ya!"

Lucina and Akira headed towards the subway. Akira had to try his best to keep Lucina's amazement of every little thing trivial. You can't have a random girl just gasping at the mere sight of a Train map or a subway, now can you? Before they boarded, the attendant gave Akira and Lucina special passes. She explained that they allowed free travel from Yogen-Jaya to Aoyome-Itchome. Akira also had no choice but to take her home with him. He knew for a fact that Lucina couldn't survive on the streets on Tokyo, even if she was a warrior from another world. They made it to Leblanc in one piece, where he told her that she can roam around freely in the backstreets, just not anywhere too far. She complied and started to wander elsewhere, taking notice to a small shop ran by an elderly couple.

Akira walked into Leblanc, only to face a very angry Sojiro. "I got a very interesting call from your school today. It's already your first day and you're showing up hours late?" "I'm sorry…" was all Akira could say. It felt bad being lectured by Sojiro. Sojiro just sighed and looked back at Akira. "Look, just be careful alright? You're on probation remember? Just one slip-up and your life's forfeit, got it?" "Yea, I got it…" "Good. Now get some rest." Just as he said that, his phone went off. "Hey," Sojiro's face lit up as he heard the voice on the other end. He ended up talking to the person on the other end for a bit before heading out and locking back the shop. On his way home, he noticed a girl he's never seen before, but she seemed to be getting along with the old couple down the road well.

When Akira went inside of the café, Lucina took off to the backstreets. She saw many new things here and there, but the backstreets just seemed like an upgraded version of a regular town's street. Suddenly, a small shop caught her eye. It had all sorts of odds and ends selling. The old couple managing it invited her in, and were instantly surprised on how elated Lucina became with what they thought was trash. "These little trinkets are so quaint, I simply adore them!" The old man laughed while his wife looked at Lucina in concern. With all the troubles Lucina had went through, her clothes were ragged. Her face had signs of tiredness written all over. And to top it off, she was getting hungry. "Dearie…" The old woman said, and surprisingly, in perfect English. "Are you perhaps… homeless…?" Lucina stopped dead in her tracts and looked at the woman. She remembered the fate of her time, and how Grima ravaged everything she loved. How the evil dragon razed down her childhood innocence with a single breath. Everything she once had, now up in flames. Remembering these memories brought tears to Lucina's eyes. "…Yes… you can say… I have no place to call my own… anymore…" The old woman became sympathetic with Lucina. She stepped out of the shop at met with Lucina. "My dear, can I have your name?" "Lucina…" she whispered. "Well then Lucina," The old woman beamed at her. "Starting from today, we'll be your family." She embraced Lucina, who immediately broke down crying. The old man smiled as he watched the scene before him. 'That's the woman I married all those years ago…' he thought.

After the touching moment, Lucina followed the couple to their house, which was right by their store. "This is your new home now, Lucina. We'll get you everything you need, dear." Lucina nodded and walked with them into a square room. It had a barely used bed, a dusty desk, and a vanity. A walk-in closet was by the west wall, and a window to the back of the room, giving a view of the Yogen-Jaya streets. "Our daughter used to use this room before she moved out. This will be your new room. The shower is down the hall, and the kitchen is right around the corner." Lucina nodded as she looked inside the closet. There were a lot of nice looking clothes in there. "She left her old school clothes here for us to sell. But no matter what, we just couldn't part with them. They felt too loved to be sold. At least they won't be collecting any more dust." The old woman looked at her bag and smiled again. "We still have her old Shujin jacket, if you need it." Lucina instantly said yes to the offer, and the old man left. He came back with a nice, black jacket that fitted Lucina's figure. "We'll get you some new clothes Sunday, but for now, have a bath and get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow." "Yes, thank you so much. If there's any way I can repay you…" Lucina was cut off by the old woman pressing her finger against her lips. "Shh… I don't expect anything in return. I took you in out of kindness. That's what a loving mother should do, Lucina." Lucina gazed at the old woman in amazement, and continued to thank her. The elderly couple simply laughed and said their goodnights to Lucina. Their names were Sigurd and Dierdre Chalphy.

Soon, Akira and Lucina both fell asleep. And like before, they both woke up in a cell. The first thing they noticed were each other. "So, I was right… We did meet before…" Akira said to her. "It seems you were. You seemed familiar to me as well…" she responded. But before they could delve deeper, a baton slammed against the cell. "Listen up inmates! Our master has decided to speak with you!" Caroline barked. "It seems you've gotten our master's attention again, inmate." Justine said calmly. The inmates then stood up and faced Igor. "Welcome back, my friends. I see at least one of you have awakened to your special powers." He looked towards Akira. "Good, even if it's just one of you, your rehabilitation can begin…" Akira and Lucina both looked confused. "Rehabilitation?" "My powers…?" Igor simply chuckled. "There's no need to understand it all for the time being, as you'll learn soon enough… You will be training in the power of Persona, which you have awakened to, Akira." He continued before Akira could interject. "Personas are the physical manifestation of your inner self. They are the 'true you'. I have high expectation for the both of you."

Igor then seemed to remember something. "By the by, have you used the Metaverse Navigator? It allows travel between reality, and Palaces…" Akira and Lucina were once again confused. "Palaces…?" "Metaverse…Navigator?" Igor looked over to the Twin Wardens. "Explain it to them girls." Caroline was first. "The Metaverse Navigator was a gift from our Master. Use it well inmate!" Justine followed up. "Palaces are the forms of a human's twisted desires. Stealing their treasures will crush those desires." Lucina and Akira were still confused, but as the alarm sounded, they had no time left. "Time's up! Go back and enjoy your rest, inmates!" And so, the two inmates were sent back to their dreams, sleeping through the night.

 **WHOO! FUCKING DONE! That took longer than I expected it to, but I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Also, about Lucina's age, I decided to make her 16 years old. She's older than Akira by 3 months and 5 days. So that means the two of them will turn 17 soon. Lucina will turn it on the 20** **th** **, and Akira will be 17 on 7/25. Also ptl thank you so much for the ideas! I was just going to have them share Confidants, but your ideas work so much better, so thank you! Lucina and Akira will share Morgana as a Confidant, but the rest of the Phantom thieves are split. Akira has Ryuji, Makoto, and Futaba, while Lucina has Ann, Yusuke, and Haru. By the way, who liked that Genealogy Easter Egg? The Sigurd and Dierdre here ARE NOT the same as the one from Lucina's world. Sigurd is half Japanese, half British, while Dierdre is an American. That's why they're able to understand Lucina. I'll delve into their backstory more, and make them Lucina's Judgement and Justice Confidants. As I said before, I won't be active until maybe Saturday because exams, so until then, see ya!**


	6. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone, I'm back from the dead! I started writing this since the 18** **th** **I think but I got caught up with other stuff like sleep and games. Also in other news DANCING GAMES ARE COMING! And Akira's new name is Ren Mamamia. I won't change it here because I like Akira Kurusu more. I also changed up some stuff formatting-wise so things aren't as cramped. Anyways, enjoy!**

 **Chapter 4**

Akira POV

Akira woke up from his strange dream. He still had sleep in his eyes, but shook it off. He got himself dressed for school, but he a lot of questions on his mind.

"What was all that…?" He said to himself. "Fates and awakening… what did that strange guy mean by all of that… No point in dwelling over it now though, I gotta head to school."

Akira went downstairs, only to find a very intrigued Lucina waiting for him by the door.

Lucina's POV

Lucina woke up from her strange dream. She looked around, relieved that her room was no longer a cell. She was confused onto why she was in the room for a second, before remembering the kind old couple who took her in.

'Speaking of them…' She thought. 'Where are they?' Lucina, after rubbing away the last remnants of sleep in her eyes, walked towards her doorway. It was then when she was hit by delicious smells, presumably food. She walked outside, only to find her foster mother cooking eggs and bacon.

"Oh, you're up!" Deirdre exclaimed. "And I was about to send Sigurd to get you too. Well then, your food is done, I'm just cooking your father's own now." Deirdre hummed as she pointed towards a fresh plate on the counter.

"Thank you, Moth- I mean, Deirdre." Deirdre simply chuckled as she heard the girl correct herself.

"No need to be so formal, dear. Calling me Mother is completely fine. I haven't been called that in ages, so it's a nice surprise. Now then, hurry up or else the food will go cold."

"Yes, thank you…Mother." Lucina smiled as she said that last part. Even though she had been reunited with her old family after coming back from a damned future, she couldn't help but feel more at home here. Maybe it was because her own era was always stuck in some sort of war.

'I wish days like these could happen always…' thought Lucina. But she knew, that despite it looking peaceful, harsher conditions happened underneath the public's eye. She experienced the twisted distortions of the Palace. It showed her that the world will always be cruel.

Lucina got herself ready for the day, putting on her foster sister's old clothes. It was a standard Shujin uniform, a long sleeve shirt with the Shujin logo on the collar, a red and black plaid skirt, which in turn was held in place by suspenders. She unbuttoned the first button on her shirt, letting some air breeze through her. She then threw the jacket over her shirt, buttoning it up.

"Not too bad…" She said to herself. Lucina then looked in the mirror and looked at her hair. "This, however, needs a little tweaking…" She grabbed a hairband and tied her hair into a ponytail, just as her aunt taught her how. She turned her head a bit, happy with her results. "Heh, I look like an Anna with this hairstyle." She was satisfied with her look and proceed to left home.

"Lucina, wait!" Deirdre called. "Before you go, keep this on you." Lucina looked at the device in her hands. It was a handheld flip-phone, although Lucina didn't really know what it was. She gave it a puzzled look. "Here, I put down our numbers here. If you need anything, call us with this button." She pointed towards a green button. Lucina was slightly less confused, but she'll ask Akira how to use it later. She said her thanks, hugged Deirdre, and went out the door.

"Now… where is it?" She said to herself. "I remember seeing the shop somewhere in this area…" Lucina saw an officer standing around, so she decided to ask for directions.

"A coffee shop… Ah, you mean Leblanc! Yeah, it's down this street." The officer said. "Hmm… You look like a high schooler… probably need that coffee for the road then."

"Uhh…Something like that." Lucina then made her way towards Leblanc. She entered the café and was immediately hit with the scent of coffee and curry. A middle-aged man looked up from the counter to see who entered. He didn't look to pleased initially.

"Tch, can't you read the sign? We're clo…oh…" Sojiro then got a proper look at Lucina, noticing her Shujin uniform. "Hey… are by any chance, looking for… _him_?"

"If by him you mean Akira, then yes. I'm waiting for him so we can go to school together." Lucina said innocently. She didn't notice Sojiro's smirk, as she was just waiting patiently on her friend.

"Well then, he should be down soon." Sojiro then had a thought to himself. 'Hoo boy, he already has a girl on his first day? Can't say I'm not impressed!' Sojiro then went back to the girl in front of him. "Make yourself at home, kid. It's not like people come here so early anyways. I'll let you come in earlier than the rest since you're going to be picking Akira up every day." Lucina nodded as she was entranced by the serene aroma of the store. Sojiro noticed this and went back to his crossword.

Akira had to take a moment to register the situation. Sojiro was grinning like a madman while Lucina simply waved at him.

'Goddammit Sojiro, do you think we're dating?!' He screamed mentally. 'I just met her yesterday!' Akira then sighed as he walked towards Lucina. "Shall we get going? It's raining pretty heavy."

"Yes, let's. Although… I don't have an umbrella on me…" Lucina blushed in embarrassment, because as she was waiting for Akira, the rain came down. 'Good thing I was inside, though.' Sojiro shot another smirk towards Akira, which prompted an eye-roll from Akira.

"Be careful you two, and try to make it to school on time." Sojiro chuckled. Once the duo was gone, his phone rang. "Oh, you're up early, what'd want? …Why do I sound so excited? Heh, none of your business Futaba."

Once outside, Akira flipped the sign from closed to open. He then opened his umbrella for both of them to use. "Good thing it's big enough for us…" Akira sighed. Lucina simply nodded as they walked towards the station. They got a few looks here and there, but nothing too major. 'It'll be hell when we get to school, though.' Akira thought.

After getting to the subway, Lucina decided to ask Akira on how to use the phone. Akira calmly guided her through every step, letting her learn slowly, but clearly. This prompted a few more stares, though mostly at Lucina and her abnormal hair color. And some very obvious gawkers, but Lucina was too interested in the phone to notice.

They arrived at Aoyama-Itchome, where they walked the rest of the way to school. While Lucina was busying herself by finding out all the quirks with the phone apps, Akira had unintentionally overheard conversations about the duo.

"No way… doesn't she know he's a criminal?"

"She probably doesn't, she's new after all…"

"Maybe I can get a chance with her then..."

Akira was getting a little more pissed at every jab at him. Having your criminal record leaked is never a good thing. But it was strange… Who could've leaked it in the first place?

After getting settled down, the duo took their seats, but instead of Kawakami entering, it was a new teacher. He looked like a stocky man in his late 50's or maybe early 60's. He wore office clothes and had a stern expression on his face.

"My name is Mr. Ushimaru. I'll be your social studies teacher this year, and I'll drill into those thick heads of yours the rules of society." He then scanned the classroom, looking at each student with the same amount of disgust. "Looks like all of you have been spoiled growing up. Why don't I teach you how to be decent human beings first before we get into the nitty gritty, eh?" His eyes then fell to Lucina. "Wake up, new girl." Lucina jolted up in her seat upon being called. "Just because you're foreign doesn't exclude you from the lesson. Now then, the Greek Philosopher Plato divided the soul into 3 parts: Appetite, Spirit, and what else?"

Lucina was taken aback by this sudden question, once Akira translated for her. She closed her eyes to think back to when Miriel tutored her and the others. She suddenly remembered her old teacher's lesson.

 _Now then, this may just be a theory, but I propose that the human soul is composed of 3 main components that drive it to live. Those components are its Appetite, Spirit, and …_

"Logic." Lucina answered. Mr. Ushimaru looked pleasantly surprised by this outcome.

"Correct! Plato's teacher, Socrates, once said that evil is born from ignorance. People who are babied, taught that evil is due to individuality, can only be viewed as society's scum." People all around the classroom looked in awe at Lucina, who seemed to know that from background knowledge. Mr. Ushimaru continued, "The recently bizarre incidents are nothing more than actions caused by those same scum. We don't need such people in our school, got that?" The class nodded, but before the lesson could continue, Lucina raised her hand.

"Sir, is it possible for one to be born evil?" she asked. Akira wondered how she even came up with that question, while Mr. Ushimaru looked a bit intrigued.

"No, that wouldn't be the case. That is just another case of one is evil due to their individuality. Some of the world's greatest villains, such as Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin, were not born evil. The ignorance of the world around them, and even themselves, drove them over that edge we call 'evil'. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering, thank you." However, Lucina was now very interested in her teacher's lessons. His teachings seemed to go beyond what Miriel taught, and she wasn't going to let this opportunity slip. But with her teacher's input, her mind wandered to a new idea that formed, 'Was the Fell Dragon… was it too, born pure, just corrupted by the ignorance of others? Or was it genuinely made out of evil and hatred?' She decided to focus on her classwork for now. She also decided to get Akira to teach her Japanese soon.

When the duo walked out of the classroom to go home, they overheard a conversation adjacent to them. Akira stopped to listen, but had himself and Lucina act like they were talking with each other to not look suspicious. When they saw the people conversing, Akira shot a glare at them. It was Kamoshida and Ann Takamaki. The person Akira shot his glare to was the perverted coach.

"Hey, Takamaki! Looking for a ride home? I heard things have been pretty hectic with all those accidents recently." The coach said, although it was clear there was a sense of malice hidden behind every syllable.

"Sorry, but I have a photoshoot today… It's for a summer catalog and I can't afford to miss it…" Upon hearing this, Kamoshida put on a mask of false concern.

"Hey now, modelling's fine and all, but don't forget to take rests now and then, ok?" He then put on a fake smile.

"Yea… sorry for worrying you…" Ann mumbled. It was obvious she wasn't enjoying being around Kamoshida.

"Don't worry about it! Also, be careful around that transfer student." Akira's eye twitched at this response. He was getting real tired of this crap. "He's got a criminal record and all. If anything happened to you, I don't know what'd I do…"

"I understand… goodbye Kamoshida…" And with that Ann left. Leaving Kamoshida to show his true face.

"Tch, damn slut…" And with that, he stormed off, leaving a very disgusted Lucina and a very pissed Akira.

"How shameful… he thinks of the poor girl as nothing more than a tool…" Lucina shook her head in disgust and disappointment. Akira was a different story.

"I think I might have a clue on who leaked my records… Goddamn asshole…" Akira was really starting to hate this Kamoshida. It was then when his phone rang in his pocket. On it was a message from Ryuji.

 **RyuJinguBang- Hey man, can you and Luce meet me up front?**

 **AkiraDrift- Yea sure man. Meet you there soon.**

 **RyuJinguBang- Hell yea!**

Once Lucina and Akira exited the campus, they were greeted by a familiar 'delinquent', "Yo."

"Looking to ambush me again, Ryuji?" Akira quipped.

"Freaking wise-ass…" Ryuji then laughed it off. "I called ya guys here to talk about yesterday. About that castle from yesterday… I thought it was a dream, but it felt too damn real. And we can't act like nothing happened either. That was the inside of that bastard Kamoshida's mind, or at least that's what the damn cat said. Look, you guys are the only two that I can trust with this… so, you guys in?"

Akira and Lucina look at each other for some sort of conformation, before accepting his offer.

"Sure, I'm down."

"When do we begin, Ryuji?"

"Looks like I was able to talk some sense into you knuckleheads." The teen then shook his head, trying to recall the events of yesterday. "We should try and retrace our steps to get back there. You guys going to the station, right? I'll come with then. In the meantime, let me know if you see any weird-ass buildings." And with that, the trio were off. They travelled all over, and each time, they'd end up right back at Shujin.

"Dammit!" growled Ryuji. "How come every path leads us back to school?! We came through this same path to get to the Castle, why ain't it appearing now?!"

"Why don't you just check your phone?" Lucina chimed in.

"I already tried. Multiple times. Nothing came up at all…" Ryuji then had a sudden realization. "Phone… Hey Akira! You had a navigation app on when we got to that castle right?"

"Navigation app?" Akira could only give a hazy guess on what he was talking about.

"Well, I don't know if it was or not, but it sounded like one. It said some shit like 'returned to the real world' or something like that. Look I dunno man! Lemme just see your phone, ok?!" Akira took out his phone, which Ryuji immediately snatched out of his hand. Ryuji scanned through the phone until his eyes landed on a peculiar-looking app.

"What's this weird eyeball thing?"

"Cute logo, huh? It won't go away no matter how many times I try to delete it…"

"What a weird app… wait a sec… This is it! It IS a Navigation app! It even has your search history on it! Let's use it!"

"Wait, Ryuji." Lucina started. "Akira probably doesn't know how to work the app, plus we don't even-"

"Then I'll use it!" Ryuji interrupted as he pressed on the app.

" **Kamoshida…Shujin Academy…Pervert…Castle… Beginning Navigation."** Droned the Phone. The three teens looked at the app incredulously.

"All right, it worked! Now, we just have to go through a certain path and-" But before he finished, the world around them distorted everything in sight. The once esteemed school of Shujin Academy transformed in a foreboding castle.

Lucina was the first to speak. "Ryuji, you dolt! I tried to tell you that we don't know what is beyond what we already saw!" She continued to rant, with Ryuji trying to calm her down. Akira had enough of their bickering and decided to cut in.

"Hey, stop arguing and look. The Castle's back." He told them, which got the two teens to quiet down. But now they got a good look at Akira, and immediately noticed something strange.

"W-whoa! Your c-clothes!" Ryuji stuttered. Akira looked at him curiously before looking down out his clothing… only to realize they were the clothes he had on when he awakened his Persona.

"What the hell…?" Was all Akira could say. He shifted himself a bit to get a good feel of the clothing on him. "You jelly?" He smirked as Ryuji got flustered.

"I-I-I ain't j-jealous!" Ryuji stammered out. He scratched his head angrily. "This makes no effing sense at all!" While Ryuji was venting, Lucina noticed a small, shadowy figure slink by.

"Ryuji, quiet," She commanded. "I think I see something. It might be an enemy…" She reached into her backpack… to reveal a sword in a sheath.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Ryuji yelled in shock. Akira also looked on in a mixture of shock and confusion. "How the hell did you fit that sword in your bag?!"

"I just, found some space. The bags are really spacious and convenient, huh?"

"You're telling us that you managed to fit an ENTIRE sword inside that bag?" Akira was bewildered.

"Yes, of course. Why would I be lying?" But before the trio could continue, the shadowy figure stepped into view and glared at them.

"Hey, keep it down you guys! Do you want to get caught?!" hissed a very familiar voice.

"Ah, Morgana!"

"Morgana? You're still here?"

"Eh? Oh, it's you…"

"Yea, it's me. The shadows were acting up, so I came here to find out why. To think it'd be you guys…" He then scanned the trio, judging them to himself. "To think you guys would come back, even after you barely managed to escape last time…" Morgana just sighed and shook his head.

"We wanted to find out more about this place." Akira started.

"Yea, like he said." Ryuji butted in. "So, is this place the school or…?"

"Yes, this is the school."

"Then why is it a castle?" Lucina asked.

"That's how it appears to its ruler. I believe you called him Kamoshida? That's how his distorted heart views it anyways."

The trio were taking all of this in, although Ryuji still needed some explaining…

After what seemed like hours of explaining things step-by-step, the gang finally understood how things work in the 'Metaverse'. Now that the explanations were over, Ryuji had another idea on his mind.

"Hey monamona"

"It's Morgana, asshole."

"Yea, whatever. Can we go to where those guys are being locked up?"

"Why would you want to go there?" Lucina asked. "Morgana already said that they're just cognitions. There'd be no point trying to save them in here."

"That right, in _here_. He never said anything about the guys in real life."

"…What are you getting at Ryuji?" Akira asked, thinking about his friend's motives.

"I'll explain when we get there, it'll make more sense." Ryuji then turned to Morgana. "Alright then, lead the way!" Morgana nodded, and lead the group towards the window they exited from before.

As the group traversed their way through the castle, they noticed the various distortions about the place, showing that it truly was the school.

"What a twisted state of mind this man must have…" Lucina said bitterly. "What could even drive one to be like this?"

"I don't give two shits about this bastard's past," Ryuji growled. "All I care about, is busting his ass and bring him to justice." The rest of the group felt Ryuji's bitterness, but decided not to ask about it. It seems that anything related to the pervy teacher would set him off. They were able to traverse their way towards the dungeons again, although the cells were now empty.

"What the… where is everyone?" But before Ryuji could be answered, they heard a group of guards approaching swiftly.

"Dammit, they're here already?!" Morgana hissed. "Quickly, everyone into the Safe Room!" He then made the group pool into a room by the side of the hallway.

Once inside, the teens caught their breath as they waited for the guards to pass on by. In the meantime, Ryuji had decided to bring something up to Akira.

"Hey, I've been thinking…" Ryuji fumbled around his bag while talking. "You've been doing most of the heavy-lifting for us, right? Well since you and the cat both have those 'Personas' or whatever."

"I'm not a cat!"

"Shut up! Anyways, I brought some supplies for us!" He then pulled out two items. One was a bag filled with different types of medicine, and the other…

"Ryuji… how the hell did you get a gun…?" Akira said in shock, looking at the pistol in his friend's hand.

"A…gun?" Lucina was confused about the device in the boy's hand. "Why are you afraid of that thing?"

"Because if he pulls the trigger, it could blow my damn finger off! I hope you remembered to put the safety on first!" Akira was now glaring at Ryuji, who only chuckled as he waved the weapon around.

"Relax man, it's just a toy. It's a model gun I got a while back. It looks real enough though, right?"

"Yeah, but how will it help us fight the Shadows? It doesn't have any live rounds, does it?"

"Nah, we won't shoot it. Just use it to scare those assholes away." Ryuji looked very proud of himself, congratulating himself on preparing for the mission.

"You guys really prepared for this, huh? So you didn't come here on a whim?" Morgana chimed in.

"Well, more like Ryuji did. This was a surprise for us as well." Said Lucina. "We really didn't expect to be dragged back here so soon." And with that she shot a glare back at Ryuji, who pretended not to notice. Now Morgana was in deep thought. 'With the style of the gun… maybe we can…'

Morgana shook his abnormally large head and looked back to the teens. "I think the coast is clear now, let's go." The teens nodded and followed him outside. The Guards had moved from the middle of the hallway to the end, so they decided to listen in on them.

"Hmm… some unidentified persons had entered the Castle. If you see them. Kill them on sight." The Lead Guard ordered. The others saluted him and brandished their weapons. This sight sent a shiver down the spines of the teens. Lucina was slightly less phased, as she had often dealt with these sorts of life-or-death situations before in her old future.

"And what of the slaves?" A guard had asked.

"They've been transferred to the training hall, probably screaming in pain. I'll be going back there now, so you two need to patrol this area just in case." The Leader said, pointing at two guards in front of him. He then turned to another guard. "And you, go back to the drawbridge, just in case the thieves attempt to escape." The guards nodded, and they all went in separate directions.

"Damn, looks like there's no easy way of backing out," Ryuji said, before breaking into a mad smile. "Not like we were planning on leaving anytime soon!"

"You look eager to fight, even if you don't have a Persona." Morgana jabbed, which angered the teen. But before the duo could go off on another tangent, Akira and Lucina had went up ahead. They stopped bickering and followed them, although they were still bitter towards each other. Akira had immediately slipped into a wall when he saw a guard trudge past.

"A Shadow huh?" He then turned to Morgana. "Looks like we don't have any choice except to kill it, right?" The cat-thing nodded.

"Yes, but remember, always try to go for an ambush. It'd be bad if we're caught."

"Yea, gotcha." Akira said that as he bounded onto the masked knight. He proceeded to rip off its mask, revealing two baby-like plant beings.

" **Christ… Can a girl not get ANY sleep here?** " One of them complained. They stopped whining when they saw Akira and Morgana in front of them. " **Oh, it's feeding time already? Alright then!** " The Mandrakes grew terrible expressions as they lunged towards the Persona users.

"FLUX!"

"WIND!"

The Magic attacks connected and hit a Mandrake, knocking it down. The other Mandrake, however, dodged the attacks and bit into Akira's shoulder.

"ARGH! You'll pay for that!" He said as he lunged forward at the Mandrake. He summoned Arsene and sliced the plant across the stomach, spilling out black fluid. The Mandrake, although dying, had one last trick up its sleeve.

" **T-take this…!** " It moaned as it covered Akira and Morgana with the black fluid.

"ARGH! Goddammit, what did it spill on us?!" Akira yelled while trying to wipe the gunk off of him.

"It's their form of blood," The cat explained. "If you get covered by it, you're more likely to get inflicted by ailments, so watch out!"

"Well then, that's just _great_ …"

The previous Mandrake had gotten back up and decided to seize its opportunity.

" **Take this, assholes!** " It screeched as it bit into Akira's side.

"GAAAHH! What the hell was that for?!" Akira then attempted to lunge at the creature, only to realize he was paralyzed. "What the… Why can't I… move…?"

"Dammit, this is bad. The Mandrake's poison won't last for too long but if you're like this it can easily strike you while you're down!"

"Urgh…goddammit…"

The Mandrake prepared to strike down Akira, but in a blue blur, the creature was cut down. Akira, who had been closing his eyes to wait for death, opened them as he hadn't been injured. He looked up to see what had happened, only to see Lucina with her sword drawn in front of him.

"That was too close, Akira." She said sternly. "You really should pay attention to your surroundings next time." She then lent a helping hand to bring him back up, as the poison wore off.

"Yea, I'll think about it…" He said as he rubbed his side. "But damn, did that hurt…"

"I got this, hold still." Said Morgana. "DIA!" almost instantly, Akira's wound on his side healed back to its normal state, as if the Shadow never bit into him in the first place.

"Phew, that felt good…" sighed Akira. "How'd you do that anyways?"

"Yea, aren't you supposed to have your Persona out to do skills?" asked Ryuji.

"These are sort of different." Explained Morgana. "Think of it as an…innate skill."

"So… something you've already came with?"

"Exactly! I didn't expect you to catch on so quickly Ryuji!"

"Zip it cat!" Ryuji then caught himself before things went too far. "Anyways, we should head over to the training hall those guards were talking about!"

"Good idea, let's go!" And with that, the group filed into a corridor. Traversing through, they ended up seeing 2 guards in the way.

"Dammit, what now?" growled Ryuji. "More shadows, huh? Should we try to take 'em down like before?"

"Maybe… You still got that pistol Ryuji?" Morgana asked.

"Huh? Oh yea, it's right here. Dunno why'd ya want it though. It can't even shoot pellets."

"You'll see in a second." Morgana then took the pistol and gave it to Akira. "Here, use this against the shadows."

"Alright, let's hope this works then…" Said Akira, clutching the pistol in hand.

"Of course it will, trust me!" And with that, the duo ambushed the guards, revealing a Pixie and a Mandrake.

" **Intruders?! Let's kill them!** "

"Akira, draw your weapon!"

"Yea!" He then pulled out the pistol, which made the Pixie pale in fear.

"That one seems scared of it, so shoot her first!"

"Got it!" Akira pointed the gun at the Pixie and pulled the trigger. But instead of firing blanks, actual rounds came from the weapon. The shots found their mark and killed the Pixie. "W-whoa! I thought this was a toy!"

"That's the beauty of the Cognitive World. Since everything is based of cognition, a toy gun that looks real now becomes real. The more realistic your weapon looks, the stronger it'll be." Morgana then drew a slingshot from his pocket. "Now it's time for my weapon!" He fired multiple shots into the Mandrake, felling it in a few seconds.

After the battle, Ryuji was left dumbfounded. "This cognitive shit don't make any sense!"

"Well, I don't expect you to understand it, Ryuji."

"Screw off, cat! And you said that if a weapon looks real it'll do damage, then why the hell does your slingshot do damage that's equal to a gun's?"

"It because unlike the toys you have, my Slingshot is an actual weapon!" This explanation seemed to satisfy Ryuji, but he was still angry at the cocky cat. The group then traversed down the halls until they reached a door leading to the hall.

"This is it, huh?" Ryuji said. "Let's see what sort of effed up shit he has in here…"

When they entered, the first thing they could hear were the screams. Cries for help that went unanswered, and the horrible sounds of chains and whips all around. They went further in, only to see the horrible conditions the students have been subject to. The constant lashings, kicking, and beatings were too much for the students, who kept crying out.

"DAMN THT ASSHOLE!" yelled a furious Ryuji. "Just what the hell does he think we are?!"

"Keep it down, Ryuji!" Hissed Morgana.

"Tsk… Is there any way I can open this cell?"

"Wait a second… you're not actually planning on freeing those guys, do you?"

"Why else would I try to open this cell? To join them and scream for mercy too? No, I'm freeing them!"

"Ryuji, there's no point in doing that." Lucina said calmly.

"And why the hell not, princess?" Ryuji spat out.

"Because, they aren't real."

"BULLSHIT! If they aren't real, they how the hell can we touch 'em and shit?!"

"It's because they're a part of Kamoshida's cognition!" She said in a voice that belonged to a general than a teenager.

"…" Ryuji was quiet for a bit to process what she said. "Cognition…?"

"Yes, this is what he thinks of the students."

"It may not be real, but if this is how he truly sees the students, he may treat them similarly to this as well."

Ryuji clenched his fists and looked to the side, frustrated. He then had an idea.

"We can use this as evidence and call the cops on his ass!" Ryuji then laughed as he pulled out his phone to take a picture… only for the camera app to be disabled. "What the hell? My camera's not working. Why can the Navigator work but not this?!"

"I'll see if it'll work for me." Akira said before hitting the same roadblock. "Damn… Hey Lucina. You got a phone, right? Check yours." Lucina then fumbled with her phone before getting her camera app up, but it was out of use as well.

"Damn, we're out of luck here…" mumbled Ryuji.

"Hey, you guys mentioned something about a Navigator app." Morgana said with curiosity.

"Yea, it's what we used to come here."

"Hmm… that's very strange…" He then shook off his thoughts and went back to them. "Let's head back for now, ok? It'll be bad if we're caught now."

"Wait up for a bit," Ryuji said suddenly. "… there. I memorized their faces. I'll ask them about this later."

After memorizing the faces of all the tortured students, the group went straight towards the exit. However, just as they were about to reach to their exit, a group of guards appeared and blocked their path. And from the guards, a figure stepped forward, glaring at the group.

"Tch, you knaves again?" Shadow Kamoshida growled. "And I thought you'd learn from your mistake last time. Guess I was wrong."

"The school ain't your castle, asshole!" Ryuji yelled. "I'm gonna take your ass down, ya hear me?!"

"Oh really? How far the track star has fallen… First turning on his teammates, now his own teacher." The Pervy King laughed as Ryuji fell silent at this remark. "Not so cocky now, are you 'Track Traitor'?"

"'Track Traitor?'" Akira asked in confusion.

"Oh my, you're just following him without knowing him? Typical of sheep… He decided to be selfish and crushed his teams hopes and dreams! And yet he decides to keep going through as if nothing has happened."

"That's bullshit, and you know it!" cried Ryuji, but the dejected look in his eyes seem to say otherwise.

"I've had enough of this. Men, kill them. Don't let these pieces of trash sully around in my castle again!" And with a wave of his hand, three guards surrounded them, morphing into 3 Bicorns.

"Damn, we're surrounded! Ryuji, stand back!" Ryuji then was pushed back by Akira, who summoned his Persona along with Morgana. Lucina brandished her blade to follow up on any attacks they may do.

However, their efforts were not enough, as they were overpowered easily by the beasts, who resisted everything they threw at them. The three fighters fell to their knees in defeat, and were held in place by Kamoshida and his men.

"Grrr… You piece of- GRAAAH!" Morgana tried growling out, but was stomped on by Kamoshida.

Akira and Lucina tried getting up, but got their heads smashed into the floor by the head guard.

"Try anything and I'll make this pain 20 times worse." It sneered.

Kamoshida then leered at Ryuji, who looked at the defeated figures of his friends before him. "I bet you just came here on a whim and ended up like this, didn't you?"

"N-no…" Ryuji then looked to the floor in defeat.

"Worthless piece of shit, getting emotional so easily. You're going to cry now, Ryuji? Like a little _bitch_?" When Ryuji didn't answer, Kamoshida continued his tirade. "Don't you _dare_ raise your hand against me! Have you forgotten my act of kindness already? Even if it was temporary, I supervised your practice sessions for the track team."

"That wasn't no practice- it was physical abuse! You hated the shit out of us!"

"That's right! You worthless maggots were only there so _I_ can get results. You hear that, _ME_! That dumbass for a coach you had before was just as hopeless as you are. If he didn't provide such a sound argument, I would've just settled things by **breaking his star's leg**." The last few words oozed with venom, and the trio on the floor glared at the man before them.

"What…?"

"What's that? You want me to break your other leg too? The idiots at the school will call it self-defense anyway!"

Ryuji then started to falter. "Dammit… Am I gonna lose again? I lost my leg, and my team… All due to this asshole…" Ryuji then began to weep bitterly.

Kamoshida laughed as he saw the figure before him. "Look at you! Once so brave and filled with gusto, now a shriveling mess! Once I deal with these guys it'll be your turn to die."

"No…"

"Ryuji!" Lucina's voice boomed. "Stand up straight, soldier! Don't let him get to you! If you want to prove yourself, grow a pair, AND FIGHT!"

Lucina's words also ushered Akira and Morgana to encourage Ryuji as well.

"Ryuji! You can do this!"

"Don't let him win!"

"Stand up for yourself and rebel!"

These words brought Ryuji out of his trance and invigorated him. He got to his knees and glared at Kamoshida with fires in his eyes.

"You guys are right… This asshole took everything I loved away from me… Hell, I may never get 'em back… but right now, that's not important. What's important now, is bringing him down to Hell!"

"What're you doing Ryuji? Go sit back down and watch your friends die, one by one." Kamoshida kept his wide smile on even as he gripped a sword from a guard. "I'll make them regret ever siding, with trash like you!"

"No, you're the only piece of trash here, Kamoshida! All you care about is using people for your own gain!" Ryuji then walked towards Kamoshida with pure rage in his eyes. "STOP LOOKING DOWN ON ME, WITH THAT STUPID SMILE ON YOUR FACE!"

Suddenly, Ryuji's head pulsed as a voice spoke inside of him.

" **You made me wait quite a while…** " Ryuji fell to his knees clutching his head in pain. " **You seek power, correct? Then let us form a pact. Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist a flag and wreak havoc…? The "other you" who exists within desires it thus… I am thou, thou art I… There is no turning back… THE SKULL OF REBELLION IS YOUR FLAG HENCEFORTH!** " Once this was spoken, a Black Skull mask appeared on Ryuji's face.

Ryuji remembered how Akira got his Persona, and decided to do the same. He grabbed the masked and ripped it off, screaming all the while. This left his face a bloody mess, but not for long as blue flames erupted from the blood, engulfing his entire body.

Wind bellowed all around, pushing the guards and Kamoshida back, allowing his friends to escape from their grasp. And behind Ryuji stood an imposing figure. It rode on a ship and looked like a traditional pirate. But its most noticeable feature, was the skull it had as a head.

"Damn… this one as well…?" Kamoshida grumbled as he tried to stand back up.

"Whoa… This effin' rocks!" Ryuji said as he looked at his now transformed clothing, which resembled the clothes his Persona wears. He then looked up to the figure. "Wassup, Persona?" It simply nodded to him as it awaited its commands.

Morgana, Akira, and Lucina all came up to their feet as they rallied behind Ryuji.

"Now that I've got this power, I can fight back now… Alright then… BRING IT!"

The head guard, furious by this sudden outburst, ripped off its own mask to reveal a demonic warlord on a fearsome stallion. He brought to his side 2 Bicorns, who were ready to shred the group to pieces.

" **We'll kill ya dead, ya hear?!** "

"Bring it, shitbags! Captain Kidd!" Ryuji then commanded his Persona to action. "THUNDER!"

A bolt of lighting shot out of Captain Kidd's cannon, barreling towards the Bicorns. The two horses were electrocuted and turned to black smoke. Upon seeing this, the demon general Eligor reared his horse up for battle.

"We can't let that thing overpower him! Everyone, ATTACK!" Morgana yelled out. Akira and Morgana then rushed the Eligor with magic attacks as Lucina struck from its sides.

"I SAY WHEN IT ENDS!" Was the last thing the Eligor heard before getting a sword rammed straight between its eyes, killing it. Once Lucina retrieved her blade from the figure, it disappeared into black smoke.

"What now, Kamoshida? Scared yet?" Ryuji sneered at the King, who only laughed.

"Ryuji… you seem to forget one important thing: This is MY castle." Kamoshida then turned his head to the side to beckon over someone. The person was a teenage girl wearing a _very_ revealing outfit.

"Wh-whoa…" Morgana purred "She's so… gorgeous…" He then purred slightly to himself giddily.

"Morgana… now's not the time-" Lucina was cut off by a sudden outburst from Ryuji.

"T-Takamaki?! The hell you doing here?!" Ryuji was in a state of shock, which then turned to anger as Kamoshida start touching her. "Get your filthy hands off her right now, you goddamn perv!" Akira, however, was thinking about the situation before them.

"Wait… something seems… off…" He then turned to Ryuji. "If the real Takamaki was here, then why isn't she screaming at this guy? This could just mean this one is just a cognition."

"Even if you're right… this bastard probably treats her the same way in the real world too…"

"You see, children…" Kamoshida sneered. "In my castle, I can do _whatever_ I please. Everyone _wishes_ to be loved by me…" Then his expression turned sour as he glared at them. "Everyone except idiot thieves like you! GUARDS! CLEAN THEM UP!" A multitude of guards appeared besides Kamoshida, looking extremely threatening.

"Crap! Guys let's scram!" Morgana cried.

"Wait, we're not gonna do anything? We're just gonna run?!"

"Ryuji, we'll die if we stay here." Lucina said calmly, although Akira was more straightforward about it.

"Dammit Ryuji, just shut up and go! We'll talk specifics later!" And with that command, the group ran away towards their exit route.

"RUN ALL YOU LIKE, YOU GODDAMN THEIVES! I'LL FIND YOU AND I'LL KILL YOU ALL! ONE BY ONE! AHAHAHAAHAH!" Kamoshida's maniacal laughter could be heard from down the hallways, along with soldiers running all over the place.

Once outside, the group had to catch their breath. After they calmed down, Ryuji was the first to talk.

"Man… talk about a close escape…" The group agreed with his words. He then looked at his clothes, which had changed from his normal school clothes to a black pirate's armor. "By the way, whad'ya think of my new clothes huh?"

"It looks great on you!"

"You look like a thug." Lucina and Akira said simultaneously. Ryuji then looked very confused.

"I dunno whether to take those as compliments or not…" He then sighed as he looked back at the castle. "That was one helluva trip, huh? Anyways, why'd I change into these anyways?"

"I thought I explained this before. It's to protect your mind and body from distortions."

"Is this… a skull?"

"Yes, it's to symbolizes what dwells beneath your surface."

"Oh so like's what's inside me!"

"Yes, exactly! I didn't think you'd catch on that quick Ryuji! It represents your inner se-"

"My skeleton!" Ryuji said this with pride as everyone looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. Akira was the first to say something in the stunned silence.

"Hey, Ryuji… Are you just, y'know, naturally this stupid?"

"Whad'ya mean? My bones are beneath my surface so that means this skull represents it!"

Before Akira could get on his ass for his immense stupidity, Lucina grabbed his shoulder.

"Just let him believe what he wants to believe. If it'll help him understand, then let it be." Akira sighed in defeat as Ryuji proudly brandished his skull mask. Then his face paled as he realized something.

"Wait, we're in deep shit! Even if we escaped the Kamoshida here, he'll kill us when we get to school!" Akira and Lucina paled as well upon hearing this. However, Morgana was quick to remedy the sour situation.

"Relax you guys. The real Kamoshida can't possibly know what happens here. The Shadow is suppressed, a side of someone they just don't want to see."

"So… we're safe then?"

"Yep, he won't even know about your escapades here! Tell me, did the Real Kamoshida remember about the execution?" Ryuji shook his head for an answer. "Exactly my point."

"Well, now that we know that, all we gotta do is-" but Ryuji was cut off by Morgana who was looking at the trio seriously.

"Wait, I guided you through here as promised. It's your turn to cooperate with me." The group looked confused as they turned towards the cat. "That's why I was super nice in teaching you guys everything."

"Wait, what do you mean, cooperate?"

"Don't you remember? I originally came here for an investigation. I need to find a way to remove the distortions from my body and regain my true form. That's why we must delve deep into Mementos and-"

"Peace Morgana, peace." Lucina raised up her hand to stop the cat on his tangent. "What are you talking about? I thought the deal was that if they freed us, we'll help them. And as such, that deal has since been repaid. I don't think we've made a proper deal to help you out."

"What the- You're just going to up and leave even though I've shown my gracious hospitality?!" Morgana then looked over to Akira with a betrayed look in his cartoony eyes. "And you! I thought you'd stick with me! You were already a part of my 'Master Plan'!" This prompted a confused look from Akira.

"Wait, what plan? I never even signed up for this!"

"Tch, the nerve of you! Is it because I'm not human? Is it because I look like a cat? Is that why you're looking down on me?!"

"No, Morgana! We don't think of you like that! It's just that we're really preoccupied right now…" Lucina said. Then she got an idea. "Although, you can-" but she was cut off by an interrupting Ryuji.

"Y'know, you got guts for being a cat and all. See ya around little dude!" He motioned his hand as he took off, prompting Akira to follow him.

"Wait, what the hell?! Why are you wrapping things up like it's all hunky-dory?! Get back here now!" But before he could keep up with his outbursts, someone's arms wrapped around him as they took off towards the duo ahead of them.

Once outside the Metaverse, the three teens were back in the alleyway by the school. As they came back, they slumped against the walls of the alley.

"Phew…" Ryuji sighed. "We finally made it back. Sorry for dragging everyone into this." He then yawned as he spoke again. "Man, am I beat. How about you guys?"

"I could use a nap." Akira groaned out.

"I'm fine for the most part." Lucina said, although fatigue could be seen on her face.

"Haa… I am gonna sleep HARD when I get home. Can't wait too." He then looked a bit invigorated. "But you know… this shit we dug up on Kamoshida made this all worth it. We got a big day ahead of ourselves. That is, if you're in. Do you wanna join me guys?"

"Sure I'll help out."

"Of course, it's better than sitting around all day with nothing to do."

"Then it's decided! Thanks a lot guys. I mean it." He then turned to Akira. "Say… if you're thinkin' of laying low, I think that's sorta impossible. Everyone already knows, but I think you already know that by now."

"Yea, I can see that. But how do they know about it anyways?"

"That damn Kamoshida opened his damn mouth! He somehow leaked your record out online for everyone to see!"

"Why would he do such a thing? Akira's just a student, isn't he?"

"That's the thing with Kamoshida. He'll do whatever it takes to smudge out anyone he deems unfit. Sorta like those Nazis scumbags we learned about a while back."

"Nazis?"

"You should ask a history teacher about them, Luce. I ain't good with history, but I do know they were a bunch of scumbags."

Akira was now really pissed off at Kamoshida. 'So he was the asshat that did this to me, huh? Well then…' He then looked at Ryuji. "Let's take him down! I want to make this asshole pay for what he did to me and everyone else he hurt."

"Yeah! That's the spirit Akira! We'll make him pay! For what he did to our school, the students, you, and my goddamn leg!" Ryuji then put out his hand to the middle "Let's make this a deal between the three of us, ok?" All three of them nodded as they thrusted their hands to the center, forming an unbreakable bond.

 **New Confidants:**

 **Akira Kurusu- The Fool**

 **Lucina Lowell- The Aeon**

 **Ryuji Sakamoto- The Chariot**

As soon as they made their pact, Ryuji's stomach grumbled. "Oh right… I didn't eat anything since lunch. Hey you guys hungry? I know a good place where we can eat."

"Sure, lead the way."

"Yes, although I was pretty sure I had him with me…"

"Had who?" Akira asked, but before he could be answered, Ryuji piped in.

"Alright, let's go! Follow me, it's just this way! Plus, I gotta hear about you guys' past!" And so, the three teens went off towards the Beef Bowl Shop in Shibuya. Little did they know, a very annoyed-looking cat was following them.

"WHAT?!" Ryuji yelled angrily as he listened to Akira's story. The customers in the shop had turned to look at the three teens, which made them all uneasy. "How could that asshole do that to you?!"

"Ryuji! Quiet down! We shouldn't cause a commotion." Lucina said as she tried to quiet him down.

"But it's complete bullshit how that asshole treated him! And he got off scot-free along with it!"

"Calm down…It's in the past anyways…" Akira sighed as he took a bite from his soup.

"Yea, yea… So, you moved from your hometown, * **munch*** and now you're living here?" He swallowed his food as he put down his bowl. "We might be more alike than I thought, y'know?"

"How so?"

"It's because society tries to put us down, like we don't belong… I've done stupid shit at school before… But now that we're together, we'll take down that bastard Kamoshida!" Ryuji then finished out his food as he turned towards Lucina. "So, what's your deal? You say you're a princess, but how do we know you ain't lyin'?" Lucina only gave a cold glare at Ryuji before returning to her dish. She took a few bites before setting it down to speak.

"I don't have much to prove my lineage. Plus, where I'm from, it didn't matter anymore. But if you do wish to know, my proof is my father's ring, my blade, Falchion, and my right eye."

"What do you mean your right eye?"

"Look at it closely, Ryuji." Akira chimed in as he finished up his food.

When Ryuji gazed into her eye, he saw the Brand of the Exalt. "Whoa… that's so weird… and really cool!" Lucina chuckled as she heard that.

"I assume that suffices as proof?"

"Yea, you got me convinced… Man, I can officially say that I know royalty! Freakin' sweet!" He then looked back at her. "So then, let's hear about your world." Lucina grew somber at this remark. "Or… not. It's fine if you don't want to share about it…"

"No, it's fine. I'd rather talk about it than not…" And so, she recounted her tale of a damned future, and 12 unfortunate children caught up in it. She told them about the beginning of the end and her plights as the leader of a 12-man army vs millions of undead soldiers. And how she and her 11 friends leapt through time and space to save their world. And she explained the events leading up to her current conditions.

"Damn… we think we got it tough, but then there's you. You've really gone through hell and back, huh?"

"It would seem so. I should try to find a way back home. Everyone must be worried about me."

"Don't worry Lucina," Akira's calming voice said. "We'll find a way to get you home. I promise you that."

Lucina looked at him with soft eyes. "I was always surrounded by broken promises. But that was in the past. I have a feeling you won't break this one." They then smiled as the mood was brightened.

"Hey, you guys live in Yongen, right? Rush hour is pretty bad at this time, so you're just better off hanging around in Shibuya to pass time." The two Yongen residents nodded as they finished out their bowls. "Also Luce. Lend me your number! And Chat ID too! Your phone may be a bit out of date, but it should still have the Chat app!" Lucina nodded as she brought out her phone, only to be stuck on something.

"How do I…set this up?" She asked as she fumbled with the Chat app. So the two teens helped her set up a proper Chat ID and such. She seemed to like the name **LucySteel**. After saving each other's numbers and ID's, they resumed their conversation.

"We'll make that asshole Kamoshida pay! Tomorrow we'll start our investigation. I memorized the faces of the slaves, so we're good there." Ryuji's expression then turned sour. "Kamoshida's hosting a Volleyball rally tomorrow. It's just a goddamn ego booster, but we have to go anyways." He then turned back to his normal expression. " _But_ , because of it, all afternoon classes are cancelled, so we can go through school unnoticed and search for the guys being abused."

"Sounds like a plan."

"We did make a deal, so let's act on it, ok?"

"Of course! So, tomorrow it is! Ah man, I can't wait!"

Morgana, who has since given up on pursuing the three teens, decided to wander into the school, hoping to find clues about Kamoshida.

"I'm lucky that I have this cat form, but if that punk Ryuji sees me like this he'll give me hell." He sighed as he rounded by the courtyard. He then found two girls talking about something, so he decided to eavesdrop.

"-My eyes, I keep thinking about too many things…" A girl's voice said in a melancholic tone.

"Shiho…" Another girl said in a comforting tone. Morgana perked his ears at the voice and moved a bit closer to get a better look. And before him was the beauty at the Palace. And she was comforting someone, who seemed to be her friend, Shiho.

"Nationals are coming up soon, and I keep thinking… Should someone like me really be on the starting line-up?"

"Don't worry, just be confident in yourself! Your skills have been recognized! It's all because you work harder than anyone else!" second

Shiho looked to the side for a bit talking again. "Yeah… Volleyball's all I have right now, after all…"

Ann then moved a bit closer to Shiho, grasping her hand gently. "More importantly, is that injury of yours ok? It looked really bad…"

"No it's nothing, it's normal… Especially since a meet is coming up…" The two were silent for a while before someone else walked in. It was the pathetic-looking teen Ryuji had tried to save the other day.

"Sorry to interrupt, Suzui… Mr. Kamoshida told me to get you…" The way the boy carried himself and looked just screamed pathetic. Shiho then looked at him in shock with traces of… fright?

'I'll find that out later… for now let's focus…'

"Huh…? What does he want?"

"He…never said…"

Shiho turned downcast as she spoke to Ann. "Ann…I…" Ann looked at her friend with worry, before attempting to encourage her.

"It'll be fine! It's probably something about the starting line-up or something."

Shiho looked dejected by this answer, but she quickly changed her expression to meet Ann. "…Yeah…" Her face then looked as if she was in pain as she turned away. "Well then… I better go…"

"Good luck, Shiho…" But Shiho and the pathetic boy already left. Ann then turned serious as she looked at Shiho's departing figure. "Hang in there, Shiho…"

'I see… This seems to also be linked to Kamoshida… I should look into this further…' Morgana thought to himself as he retreated back into the shadows.

Akira's POV

Once Akira and Lucina reached Yongen, they parted ways to each of their own homes. Akira entered Leblanc to see Sojiro sitting by the counter, reading a newspaper. He then looked up to see Akira.

"…You're home… I'm taking it that you actually went to school this time?"

"Of course."

"Good, as long as you realized your mistake. I don't got a problem with you doing stuff outside of school, but please try to stay out of trouble, ok kid? It'll look bad on me if you did something stupid."

"Gotcha." Akira then made his way upstairs, only for Sojiro to stop him midway.

"I'm closing up for the night. Don't go wandering around after dark, ok?" Sojiro's expression turned smug as he turned back towards Akira. "And don't try to bring your girlfriend over either."

"We're not dating!" Akira said quickly, which only prompted a laugh from Sojiro.

"Heheh… Just messing with ya, kid. Goodnight." He smiled as he left and locked up the store for the night. Akira sighed as he watched his caretaker leave.

'What a guy… that Sojiro…' He thought. Akira's phone then went off as he got a text message from Ryuji.

Lucina's POV

Lucina came back home very exhausted. Today was just a really weird day, with that castle and everything. She then wondered if Morgana made it through with her, or if he was just bound to the Metaverse. Her thoughts would have to wait as she had to bathe and get dressed for bed.

"Oh, Lucina," Deirdre called out to her as she was about to enter the bathroom. "The new bathhouse opened up recently. I forgot to tell you before, but it'll be better bathing there at nights. Plus Sigurd wants to save on water bills so there's that too."

"I see, thank you mother." Lucina then got dressed and headed towards the bathhouse down the street. Just then, her phone went off.

 **You and AkiraDrift have entered Ryuji's Group Chat**

 **RyuJinguBang: Yo guys. I decided to make a group chat for our shit in that other world, 'kay?**

 **AkiraDrift: Yea, it's all good.**

 **RyuJinguBang: Bitchin'**

 **-Anyways, Kira. You know that weird app that got us to that weird ass place?**

 **AkiraDrift: Yee**

 **RyuJinguBang: So uhh like…**

 **-It's on my phone now.**

 **LucySteel: Oh yes! I got the same app too! Strange isn't it?**

 **-We are talking about the one with the red eye on it, correct?**

 **AkiraDrift is typing…**

 **RyuJinguBang: Yea it's that one. Looks dope af**

 **LucySteel: What do you mean?**

 **RyuJinguBang: Like that red eye just looks so**

 **AkiraDrift: Just leave the app be for now. I tried deleting the little shit but it keeps coming back. Who knows tho, it might help us soon™**

 **RyuJinguBang: MMMM**

 **-O**

 **LucySteel: You cut him off…**

 **AkiraDrift: LUL eat ass Ryuji**

 **RyuJinguBang: Listen here you lil shit**

 **AkiraDrift: Bitch don't tell me what to do lol**

 **-Fukkin mashed potato lookin' motherfucka**

 **LucySteel laughed at this comment**

 **RyuJinguBang posted image Feelsbadman. Jpg**

 **AkiraDrift changed the Group Chat name to Akira's Bitches**

 **RyuJinguBang: Oi m8**

 **LucySteel: ('w')**

 **AkiraDrift: owo what's this?**

 **RyuJinguBang: die**

 **RyuJinguBang posted image OmaeWaMouShinderu. Jpg**

 **LucySteel: What the hell?**

 **AkiraDrift: N-NANI?!**

 **AkiraDrift has been removed from the group**

 **LucySteel: Holy shit why did you do that?**

 **RyuJinguBang: Chillax he'll come back soon**

 **RyuJinguBang has added AkiraDrift to the group**

 **AkiraDrift: Bitch you thought**

Lucina looked up from the phone screen to see that she was at the bathhouse already. "This place really is small…' she thought to herself as she entered the bathhouse. Deirdre told her to use the mixed baths, as the only people who uses them are the elderly couples and they only use it during the day, so it should be empty at night. So, Lucina decided to take a bath in there instead of the regular woman's bath. As she was bathing, she heard her phone buzz constantly, but she assumed it was just the boys being idiots again in the chat, so she ignored it. She was half-right.

The boys were indeed shitposting in the chat, but the source of the buzzing was the app with the red eye, which was glowing ominously. It only had one word on the screen. Dragon Gate Status: Open.

 **Holy crap I didn't think I'd get through all of this. I'm so sorry I made y'all wait so long, I got caught up with irl shit. Like the cliffhanger tho? Or probably the chat ID scene which is basically your average kik/discord server. Anyways, leave a review so I can improve on my writing and leave some suggestions as well. Those are really appreciated. Also, I made Lucina an Aeon as she is technically an otherworldly being trying to understand the real world. I have her starting Persona out, but her Final Persona is a toss-up. That's all from me, until next time. See ya!**


	7. Update Notice

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait, but unfortunately, this isn't an update. I just felt that you guys shouldn't be left in the dark for so long. Anyways here's what's going on right now.**

 **I'm currently working on the new chapter, but I'm also trying to tune up my writing. I've been getting tips from friends and some authors. (Bless your soul The Inkasters for all those writing tips at the end of each chapter for Remnant's Bizarre Adventure: Beacon is Unbreakable. If you haven't read it, go read it, it's good)**

 **I've also been unable to find good enough time to work on this. I've been taking driving lessons, looking for a job, and just been dealing with school. I should be able to get something out late May because that's when school lets out for me. But this'll be the last you'll hear from me for right now since It's Exam MONTH for me. Big oof.**

 **Anyways, see y'all soon! ~Tiamatio**


	8. Ded

**Alright, no surprise her, but I've given up on this story. I was away from it for too long and I ended up losing my motivation to continue it. The more I kept trying to write, the less I enjoyed it. I'm enjoying writing my new story a lot more tbh. However, if anyone wants to take this story, be my guest. Just hit me up with a PM and I'll grant you permission. That's all that needs to be said about this story, and sorry to everyone who enjoyed it. See ya.**


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